Review by Booklist Review
The lyrics to Berkner's 1997 dinosaur marching song are kitted out with a plotline, dialogue, additional sound effects, and big, very simply drawn prehistoric scenes. Bidding their parents goodbye, diminutive dinos Ernesto and Dax gather a multispecies gang of fellow hatchlings and go marching, marching to make the earth flat. Following lunch and a climb, all settle down in a cave for a nap until a rumbling quake sends them scooting back down the mountain to their parents (It was rad, Dad! You should have been there, Mom!) for a final rousing ROOAARRR! The main lyrics of the songs are offset by occasional cartoon-style lines of dialogue from the dino crew. As is typical of songs converted to this format, there is no strong rhythm or cadence to the lines, but the original is likely to be familiar enough (and is widely available on recordings and online) that young audiences will have no trouble chiming in as they march about and roar in chorus.--Peters, John Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Popular children's musician Berkner (The Story of My Feelings) brings another of her songs to the picture book crowd with this vibrant adaptation. Berkner's lyrics provide a rowdy framework for the story-"We are the dinosaurs,/ marching, marching./ We are the dinosaurs-/ whaddaya think of that?"-and Clanton's (Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea) zippy cartoons create a parallel visual adventure that brings Berkner's words to life. Rainbow-colored young dinosaurs, outlined with a chunky black line and wearing neckerchiefs like a kind of Mesozoic scouting troupe, bid farewell to their parents and march over a hill, through a river, and up a mountain. All along their trek, dialogue asides in the art keep readers in the action: "Uh-oh! Time to go!" says a yellow triceratops as the mountain they've been resting in starts to rumble, sending the dinos on a quick march home. Berkner's fans and newcomers alike should find much to enjoy about in these boisterous, independent-minded dinosaurs' adventure. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Illustrator's agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-The marching rhythm of Berkner's hit tune comes through in this playful picture book adaptation. The simple, repetitive lyrics ("We are the dinosaurs,/marching, marching. We are the dinosaurs-/whaddaya think of that?") are transformed through brilliant illustrations by Clanton into a story about a troop of young dinosaurs going on an explorative adventure. While some of the lyrics don't quite match up with the illustrations (the visuals depict the dinos napping in a volcanic cave, not in a nest), the plot contains enough of an arc that it makes sense as a whole. The mixed-media dinosaurs are part David Ezra Stein's Dinosaur Kisses, part Gus, the Dinosaur Bus, with a big dose of Clanton's bold and adorable style. He includes just the right touch of anthropomorphism and accessories to give each dinosaur and parent unique personalities without making the book over-the-top. The simple lyrics are supplemented heavily by animal asides, which can sometimes overwhelm the page. Upon first read, the excess words may present a challenge and disrupt the natural and fun rhythm of the lyrics. But once the reading flow is established, this title will be read over and over. VERDICT A catchy narrative that will stick in readers' heads. A great purchase for most picture book collections, and a fun choice for preschool storytimes.-Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA © Copyright 2017. 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 lyrics to children's musician Berkner's catchy tune are a poor choice for the picture book treatment: without music, they're repetitive and shapeless ("We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching. We are the dinosaurs. We make the earth flat. We make the earth flat"). Alongside the colored-pencil, acrylic, and watercolor art, the cartoonish dinos' numerous asides (e.g., "Ready to march?") are visually distracting. (c) Copyright 2018. 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
Here be dinosaurs. When adapting a song to a picture-book format, the source material should have the same natural rise and fall of action as a literary text. Some songs take to their newfound formats like a fish to water, while others, like Berkner's here, are left gasping for air. Working a plot onto the plotless lyrics of the titular song, pictures and added dialogue send five little dinosaurs on a hike up a mountain. The cartoony crew stomps, stops to eat, climbs, and goes to sleep in a mountaintop cave before running heck-for-leather back down to avoid a volcanic demise. Plenty of dialogue assists the text, though the lyrics of the song provide the story's backbone. Readers already familiar with the music will enjoy the lively adaptation, but for new fans, the lure of dinosaurs may not be enough to sustain their interest. Much of the heavy lifting is performed by Clanton, whose wide-eyed, perky dinosaurs attempt to hang a plot on Berkner's upbeat, repetitive lyrics, with limited success. Though there is initial lip service paid to the repeated assertion that the dinosaurs "make the earth flat," depiction of the dinosaurs on the lumpy incline of the mountain will puzzle readers. Oddly, for a book so reliant on familiarity with Berkner's song, no CD or online link to the music is included (though "We Are the Dinosaurs" sheet music is printed on the book's back cover, where it will likely be inaccessible to library users). In a market teeming with terrible reptiles, this book earns itself a big di-NO. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
