Review by Booklist Review
Perhaps easily dismissed at first glance, the prolific Wheeler's dino-sports books (hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball, and football already included) offer charming fun and genuine sports action for young audiences. Instead of generic fights, Wheeler offers, in rhyme, six matches featuring various wresting styles: folk style, lucha libre, Greco-Roman, sumo, freestyle, and pro tag team. She offers salient facts about each style and the culture that developed it and identifies each of the dino-combatants by their scientific names, all while wrapping the education in clever humor (the T. rex's tiny arms, for instance, leave him outmatched in Greco-Roman wrestling, in which the use of legs is barred). Gott's cuddly style does not stop him from producing anatomically identifiable dinosaurs, allowing young experts to root for their favorites, and he tops it off by including accurate wrestling moves for each of the matches, from the tight grappling of folk style to the wild brawling of pro tag team. Many a little reader will do a victory dance in the stacks for this combination of dinosaurs and hand-to-hand combat.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wheeler and Gott continue to pit dino against dino in athletic competitions; having already covered football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and hockey, they explore different forms of wrestling in this addition to their series. In the first bout, a singlet-wearing ankylosaurus takes down an allosaurus; lucha libre, Greco-Roman, and sumo wrestling follow, among other styles, and the ultra-rowdy final pages celebrate "the superstars of the WWD" ("As officials call for quiet,/ fans joins in. Now it's a riot!"). As usual, Gott offers dynamic, vivid interpretations of each showdown, and the last page teases the next book in the series (think Tony Hawk). Ages 5-9. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Dinosaurs come ready to rumble at the Dino-Wrestling Jamboree. A narrative of rhyming couplets, some that stumble, describe dinosaurs of all types--from Pterodactyl to T. rex--engaging in a variety of wrestling styles including Greco-Roman, lucha libre, sumo, and WWD. Followers of Wheeler's previous Dino sport books will recognize and welcome Gott's brightly colored, raucous illustrations. (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
Wheeler, that rhyming dino-sports enthusiast, is back, this time with a survey of wrestling styles. Leaving no mat unexplored, this encompasses everything from folkstyle wrestling to Greco-Roman and sumo and everything in between. Combining spot-on rhythms and rhymes with a narrative style that is akin to a sports announcer, the verses fly by as the dinosaurs gather to watch and participate in the Dino-Wrestling Jamboree. Each style of wrestling gets its own match, with the text often telling a bit about the style, its rules and/or its equipment. During the lucha libre event, the verse even includes a few Spanish vocabulary words, though, as with other wrestling terms, they are not defined in context: "The crowd goes loco--shouts and boos. / Ouch! That hit will leave a bruise." Every detail is in Gott's brightly colored cartoon illustrations--from the different uniforms the participants wear down to the little guy who holds the sign up with the dinosaurs' species (handy, since Wheeler often shortens them) and wrestling style. They teem with action and testosterone. The text ends on a disturbing note, however--the WWD pro tag-team event turns into a riot, with the participants and fans brawling enough to bring down the tents. Young wrestlers will find all the action and moves they are seeking within these pages, and the dinosaurs and rhymes are an added, entertaining bonus. (Picture book. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
