Chick-o-Saurus Rex

Lenore Jennewein

Book - 2013

Little Chick does not feel very brave and mighty until he learns that he is descended from the fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Jennewei Due Apr 3, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers c2013.
Language
English
Main Author
Lenore Jennewein (-)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 29 cm
ISBN
9781442451865
Contents unavailable.
Review by New York Times Review

Stomp! Chomp! Watch out, here comes Dinah , an irrepressible baby dinosaur who starts life doing the kinds of things big, aggressive reptiles do. But a chance sighting of two much smaller, fluffier creatures exchanging a kiss sets Dinah on a new mission. Her attempts to do something that isn't in her nature make for silly fun that's likely to set preschoolers chomping and stomping around the room and maybe exchanging a few kisses of their own. CHICK-O-SAURUS REX By Lenore Jennewein; illustrated by Daniel Jennewein 32 pp. Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Snobbish farmyard bullies won't let Little Chick play in their treehouse ; his family isn't up to scratch . "If your father isn't brave and mighty, you'll never be either." But Chick digs deeper into his past and unearths some very big - T. rex! - bones . Treehouse acceptance ensured , he shows his own mettle while also remembering the rights of other little creatures . Daniel Jennewein's bold outlines and expressive animals make this simple story, with its interesting DNA fact , into an entertaining, good-hearted romp. GUS, THE DINOSAUR BUS By Julia Liu Illustrated by Bei Lynn 32 pp. Houghton Mifflin. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Getting to school in the morning would be a lot more fun if it meant sliding out your window onto the back of a friendly green dinosaur . Though other picture books have imagined the narrative possibilities of living with oversize animals, Gus , a sweet-faced herbivore who's happy to help out, is an especially charming addition to the genre. When the Gus bus runs into trouble , kids from school help him find an occupation that's an even better fit . HOW BIG WERE DINOSAURS? Written and illustrated by Lita Judge 40 pp. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) Judge knows about dinosaurs; she started going on digs at the age of 15 , and published "Born to Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World" in 2010 . Here she compares dinosaurs with animals (and S.U.V.'s ) on earth today. The result is an amusing visual mismatch; a boy clings for dear life to the neck of a galloping Struthiomimus while racehorses struggle to keep up ; three cows pause in their grazing to peer worriedly at a Stegosaurus (who weighs as much as they do, combined ). DINOSAUROLOGY The Search for a Lost World By Raleigh Rimes Illustrated. 30 pp. Candlewick Press. $19.99. (Novelty book; ages 8 to 12) The large-format books in the "Ology" series, with their thick, embossed covers and scrapbooklike pages with envelopes of coded messages and tiny artifacts, are just the thing for rainy weekends and late-night flashlight reading. "Dinosaurology," supposedly the account of a 1907 "expedition into the unknown," is packed with detailed illustrations, mini-biographies of real and imagined paleontologists and a through-narrative about an island where dinosaurs still roam . Be warned: may cause a severe outbreak of dinophilia among middle-grade readers. SARAH HARRISON SMITH ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 25, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review

All the little farm animals long to play in the tree house where the young donkey, pig, and sheep have their exclusive club. When Little Chick tries to join, they bar his way and deflate his pride. Inspired by a family photo, Little Chick digs for a legendary ancestral fossil nearby and discovers a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Suddenly courageous, he bellows, I AM CHICK-O-SAURUS REX! After he frightens away the wolf that is terrorizing the donkey, pig, and sheep, they admit their wrongs, sing his praises, and open the clubhouse to all. Full of energy and humor, the bold digital artwork creates cartoonlike effects with black, expressive lines and flat colors. The story is satisfying as well. Beyond introducing the concept that chickens are the closest living relatives of the T. rex (discussed in the appended author's note), it offers opportunities for kids to chime in on the song For He's a Mighty Brave Chicken, Little Chick's memorable bellow, and his family's battle cry, COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! Fun for reading aloud, especially in group settings.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A factoid from evolutionary biology-that chickens are T. rex's closest living relatives-provides a distinctive angle to a story about bullying from this husband-and-wife team (she's the author of the YA novel Level 2; he's the illustrator of Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?). Daniel Jennewein's digital drawings show scrawny, earnest Little Chick staring longingly at the neighborhood tree house, presently occupied by an obnoxious trio: Little Donkey, Little Sheep, and Little Pig. "This is a club for the brave and mighty," they sneer. "So tell us, what mighty things can chickens do?" A search turns up a paleontologist grandfather and traces of an ancient ancestor said to lie buried nearby. "Can we go there? Please?" Little Chick pleads with his father, and the two uncover a gigantic T. rex skeleton. Armed with the knowledge of his terrifying sire-and a giant bone-Little Chick proves his bravery. While the story doesn't offer a real-world bully solution, its premise is easy to understand and (more notably, perhaps) it takes the principle of evolution as the quiet, undisputed basis for all that happens. Ages 4-8. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-Little Chick longs to play in the tree house, but the entrance is guarded by three bullies. Little Donkey, Little Pig, and Little Sheep insist that only the brave and mighty can belong to their club and put up a "No Chickens Allowed" sign. So Little Chick searches for an impressive relative. His dad helps him discover a picture of Grandpa Rooster and a fossil and tells him that legend has it that an ancient ancestor is buried beyond the farm. Wearing their pith helmets and holding pickaxes, father and son dig one hole after another until they discover a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. Renaming himself Chick-o-Saurus Rex, the chick hurries back to the tree house and rescues the bullies from a hungry wolf. His brave act wins him acclaim and opens the tree house to all the farm animals. The cartoon artwork uses simple lines and bright colors. An author's note explains that paleontologists have confirmed that chickens really are T. rex's closest living relative. Dinosaur-loving youngsters will warm to Little Chick, whose courage has nothing to do with his size.-Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

The other animals won't let Little Chick into the treehouse because he isn't brave and mighty. With the help of his father, Little Chick uncovers his prehistoric ancestry--via Tyrannosaurus rex fossils--which imbues him with the self-confidence to defeat a hungry wolf as well as win over his original bullies. Heavy outlines and saturated colors bog down an already unoriginal story. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Inspired by his dinosaur ancestry, a small chick drives off a wolf and so turns bullies into friends in this bland episode. Bullies Little Pig, Little Sheep and Little Donkey refuse him entry to the treehouse unless he can prove that he's "brave and mighty." A nascent rooster's crow doesn't persuade them that he or his family meet their qualifications, and they post a "No Chickens Allowed" sign on their tree. Little Chick pesters his dad into helping him dig up an "ancient ancestor" who turns out to be T. Rex. Proclaiming "I AM CHICK-O-SAURUS REX!" in a full-spread bellow, Little Chick races back to the tree with a giant bone, arriving just in time to send a startled wolf scooting off. Huzzah. After a general chorus of "For He's a Mighty Brave Chicken," the erstwhile bullies throw the treehouse open to all the farm animals. The thick-lined, very simple cartoon illustrations have just about as much nuance as the plotline. Hot as the "bully" topic may be, this has nothing to offer on it aside from facile wish fulfillment. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.