Little Dino

When young Dino emerges from his egg, he immediately looks for his mother, who's nowhere to be found. Reminiscent of P.D. Eastman's classic taleAre You My Mother? (1960), this story follows a newly hatched purple dino on his search. After encountering a triceratops, a T. Rex, and a Pteranodon, he feels lonely and a bit inadequate--why doesn't he have horns, sharp teeth, or wings like the others? But a friendly brontosaurus offers some help. Little Dino climbs aboard the bigger dinosaur's back and eventually finds his mother--and learns who he really is. Originally published in the Netherlands, this book cleverly embeds facts about each dinosaur within the narrative. Little Dino is more curious than frightened. In fact, he maintains a cheerful demeanor throughout his journey, becoming discouraged only after being rebuffed by the third dinosaur he comes across. The softly colored illustrations feature humorous depictions of Dino's fantasies as he wonders what life would be like if he were the offspring of each of the dinosaurs he meets. The endpapers provide kid-friendly tidbits about each dinosaur--for instance, that a triceratops weighed as much as a truck and that a T. Rex had teeth as long as a water bottle. A tender tale of parent-child love, with some dino facts for good measure.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.