April 10, 2023
In this sanguine work from longtime collaborators Fleming and Rohmann (Honeybee), young Penny is the lone witness to a dinosaur egg’s hatching during a class trip to the Museum of National History. As Penny, portrayed with brown skin, tours the dinosaur exhibit, the baby sauropod tags along, undetected by anyone else: he perches watchfully on a model of Earth as Penny walks through a solar system diorama, successfully begs for scraps from Penny’s sack lunch, and earns the name Pip for the squeaky “Pip-Pip” sound he makes. When the two return to the dinosaur hall for one last look, Penny has a realization: If they’re surrounded by remains of dinosaurs who “lived long, long ago,” who is going to take care of Pip? Coupled with Rohmann’s pencil and digitally colored art, which conveys soft black lines and velvety textures, Fleming’s calm, reportorial tone creates a lovely, almost old-fashioned openheartedness. And the story’s resolution, which involves a smartly executed subterfuge in the museum gift shop, speaks to self-assured Penny’s steadfastness in applying clever logic to the fantastical. Ages 4–8. Agent (for Fleming and Rohmann): Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.
June 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 Penny gazes in wonder at an enormous brontosaurus skeleton at the natural history museum. While everyone else is distracted, Penny notices an egg wiggling in the corner of the display, and to her astonishment, a tiny dinosaur wriggles free. Imprinted on Penny, the baby brontosaurus scampers behind her through the museum. In the lunchroom, the newly christened Pip begs adorably for scraps. Penny realizes he needs looking after, but how to smuggle him out? The problem is solved when Pip pokes his head out from a pile of stuffed animals in the gift shop: Penny pays for her "toy" and simply walks out with her new dinosaur friend in her arms. The charming premise is delightfully carried out, with Penny as a kind, clever protagonist and Pip as a darling, daring accomplice. The attractive illustrations capture the vastness of museum halls along with the adorable intimacy of the burgeoning friendship, and they're sure to have readers dreaming of their own dinosaur companions. A trip to a museum well worth taking.
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Starred review from May 1, 2023
What is hatching in the museum? Penny is a sensible, curious, and very observant young brown-skinned girl who finds an unexpected surprise while on a school trip to a natural history museum. She is the only one who notices a mysterious egg, which dramatically cracks open to reveal...a small green baby dinosaur! Penny decides to name the long-necked, long-tailed creature Pip (after his squeaks)----, and when --she realizes she can't possibly leave him behind, she devises a clever plan that she hopes will ensure his escape and enable her to bring him home. Deceptively simple and very appealing illustrations with just the right amount of detail partner perfectly with the gentle humor and suspense of the straightforward yet graceful text. Visible pencil strokes give the art an intimate, tender feel. Use of white space and perspective is effective; seen next to the hulking dino skeletons, Pip cuts an especially vulnerable and endearing figure. Young readers and listeners are sure to appreciate Penny and Pip's predicament, cheer them on from start to finish, and return to this story again and again. As our young heroes walk through the museum and into the future, one can only hope that more tales of this charming duo are soon to come! (This book was reviewed digitally.) A warm and welcoming ode to creativity and friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from July 1, 2023
Rohmann returns to the natural history museum setting of his debut, Time Flies, but this outing is far cozier than that 1995 Caldecott Honor Book. It's just as fanciful, though. Penny, a brown-skinned girl with exuberant, textured hair, is visiting the museum on a school field trip. "In a quiet corner of the dinosaur exhibit, something astonishing happened." Penny notices the hatching of an adorable baby sauropod, who wags his tail at her, then scales the short glass barrier and follows her. A little bit behind Penny, the wee green reptile creeps between a stuffed grizzly's legs and later perches atop a model Earth, perspectives adding gentle humor. Their bond is cemented back in the dinosaur hall, where the little dino and Penny find themselves surrounded by massive skeletons. Fleming's understated text leaves space for Rohmann to let composition and body language do the talking: Pip is the only living dinosaur there, and he needs Penny. Fortunately, Penny understands, and she arrives at a brilliant plan that allows them to leave the museum and head "into the future...together." Young readers will be thoroughly charmed by the text's absolute faith in this future. Rohmann's loose strokes of black colored pencil, digitally colored, position his characters against uncomplicated, mostly white backgrounds that keep the focus on their emotional connection. Like Pip, this openhearted invitation to imagination is a keeper. Vicky Smith
(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from September 29, 2023
PreS-Gr 3-While on a school visit to the Natural History Museum, Penny (age five) befriends a baby brontosaurus she names Pip. While wandering the vast museum hallways together, Penny and Pip find that magic unfolds around every corner: bison, grizzly bears, giant squid, and whales. While stopping to eat lunch, she shares a few cheese crackers and delights in Pip's hearty response after he emits a loud, pleasurable URRRP! And with that, the two become best friends concocting a plan that eventually hatches in the museum gift shop. Fleming showcases Penny's precocious thinking while Rohmann's digitally colored art is deftly outlined in velvety smooth black pencil strokes, giving a delicate texture to this endearing story. VERDICT An imaginative story that is sure to have young readers longing for their own extraordinary dinosaur adventure, while arranging their next trip to a museum. A must-have for every library's picture book collection.-Lyn Smith
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2023
Rohmann returns to the natural history museum setting of his debut, Time Flies, but this outing is far cozier than that 1995 Caldecott Honor Book. It's just as fanciful, though. Penny, a brown-skinned girl with exuberant, textured hair, is visiting the museum on a school field trip. "In a quiet corner of the dinosaur exhibit, something astonishing happened." Penny notices the hatching of an adorable baby sauropod, who wags his tail at her, then scales the short glass barrier and follows her. A little bit behind Penny, the wee green reptile creeps between a stuffed grizzly's legs and later perches atop a model Earth, perspectives adding gentle humor. Their bond is cemented back in the dinosaur hall, where the little dino and Penny find themselves surrounded by massive skeletons. Fleming's understated text leaves space for Rohmann to let composition and body language do the talking: Pip is the only living dinosaur there, and he needs Penny. Fortunately, Penny understands, and she arrives at a brilliant plan that allows them to leave the museum and head "into the future...together." Young readers will be thoroughly charmed by the text's absolute faith in this future. Rohmann's loose strokes of black colored pencil, digitally colored, position his characters against uncomplicated, mostly white backgrounds that keep the focus on their emotional connection. Like Pip, this openhearted invitation to imagination is a keeper.
(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)