Review by Booklist Review
In a (mostly) four-wheeled flight of what-if, Leitch pairs prehistoric motorists to their preferred motor vehicles as Ritchie puts pedal to the metal with windswept views of full-sized dinos atop, usually, hilariously tiny cars, motorcycles, or (in the case of T. rex) a monster truck. Diplodocus actually fills up a school bus, while Velociraptor and a carload of hatchlings zoom past in a MINI, trailing a cloud of feathers. Brachiosaurus? "She doesn't drive yet. But as soon as she's old enough, she wants a little green jeep. With a sunroof." Sporting loud, unnatural, vigorously brushed colors, the eight drivers prance on foot across a closing spread alongside identifying labels and facts, and the author tacks on a set of extension activities. Before continuing the game, though, how about matching this up with similarly high-octane road trips like Mark Lee's What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive? (illustrated by Brian Biggs, 2019) or Lisa Wheeler's Dino-Racing (illustrated by Barry Gott, 2016)?
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dinosaurs hit the road as Leitch and Ritchie pair eight species with their ideal vehicles. "Iguanadon drives electric," reads emblematically simple text accompanying a portrait of the vegetarian atop a charging car. Compsognathus--described in back matter as "small but fast"--holds the keys to a sleek red sports car. And Triceratops--noted as preferring group travel--bikes with four leather-jacket-clad motorcyclists. Set against white backgrounds, Ritchie's cartoonlike pencil, ink, and digital art presents the subjects' personalities with an anthropomorphized stylishness befitting their vehicle of choice: Velociraptors sit easily in a minicar, while Diplodocus less comfortably occupies a yellow school bus. Though the reasoning behind each pairing may not be immediately clear to readers, a playfully tender concluding scene should fuel driving daydreams. Back matter includes facts and discussion prompts. Ages 2--5. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Buckle up, young dino! Eight species of dinosaurs from across geologic periods are featured, each paired with a type of motor vehicle. The nearly all-white backgrounds keep children's full attention on the dinosaur and vehicle introduced on each double-page spread. Iguanodon drives an electric vehicle, while Triceratops and their friends prefer motorcycles. Tyrannosaurus Rex drives a monster truck, while Carnotaurus makes a living driving a limousine. Diplodocus drives a bus, while Brachiosaurus dreams of driving a Jeep--but only when she's old enough to do so. The concept of the book is interesting and gets a big lift from four appended suggestions for caregivers on engaging readers and honing their critical-thinking skills. The text is spare; a phonetic pronunciation guide to some of the more unusual dino names would have been appreciated. (We're looking at you, Compsognathus!) This is a minor quibble, however, and the watercolorlike illustrations do a lot of heavy lifting to promote the humor of each new page--children will gleefully note that most of the huge creatures are themselves crammed into relatively tiny vehicles. Young readers who sit firmly in the Venn diagram overlap of dinosaur lovers and car enthusiasts will be thrilled, and with the right guidance, those outside of that overlap will be interested as well. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Amusing fun from the "Car"-taceous era! (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
