Having tackled bedtime and toilet-training (among other hurdles), Dinosaur now takes on preschool, with comical results.
Playing the part of the universal preschooler (save for his big teeth and scaly spine), he gives his battle cry: "Roar! I'm a Dinosaur!" The tomato-red, blustering hero dons a plaid jacket, grabs his lunch pail and announces, "Roar! I'm going to school!" Bob Shea (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime; Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great) depicts an uncertain Dinosaur in pale outline with eyebrows raised as he considers the prospect of "meeting new friends." He rises to the challenge, however ("DINOSAUR WINS!"), and with new friends at his side, the other experiences (dressing up, art projects, making music) seem less daunting ("Dinosaur wins!"). Shea portrays a pig, cat, fox and, yes, unicorn in Dinosaur's circle of friends. Large swaths of color behind thickly painted black outlines, and patterns of polka dots and stripes will hold preschoolers' visual interest as the author-artist shifts the moods from page to page.
For Dinosaur, even clean-up feels manageable "when everyone helps." Guess what? "Everyone wins!" Shea not only instills confidence about the value of new experiences, but also how friendship can lighten any load. Friends alone make a compelling reason to leave the safety of home and bravely enter preschool. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness