Dinosaur Trouble

March 1, 2008
Gr 2-4-Nosy is a young pterodactyl and Banty is a young apatosaurus. Both of their families are scornful of the other and try to instill their distain in their offspring. After all, pterodactyls are superior because they can fly. And apatosaurus are better because they have four legs and are herbivores. In spite of their parents' objections and their obvious differences, the two young dinosaurs become friends and help unite their families in the face of a common foea T. rex named Hack the Ripper. The lessons about friendship, working together, and not prejudging others are not subtle, but the story is engaging and fun and readers will not mind the messages. Children are also likely to learn new words as Nosy's mother speaks with a highly inflated vocabulary. "We are, after all aeronauts of remarkable facility and versatility." Luckily, most of her words have to be explained/translated for the other dinosaurs. The black-and-white spot art captures the characters' expressions and, with the exception of the T. rex, appears almost sweet. The story is a good choice for dinophiles who have moved beyond picture books and are ready for easy chapter books."Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2008
Nosy, a newly hatched pterodactyl, emerges from his shell peppering his mother with questions. From her answers he quickly learns a number of big words about himself: nidifugous, pterodactyl, pulchritudinous, and nomenclature. And thats just in the first four pages. His utter faith in his mothers wisdom falters when he spies a young apatosaurus by the river, whom his mother dismisses as a second-class creature. (At the same time, the apatosaurus mother calls the pterodactyls much inferior to us.) Nosy seeks out the dino anyway, and the two eventually unite their families. Together they devise a plan to end the Tyrannosaurus rexs reign of terror and have more success than anticipated. Much of the books humor relies on wordplay and the juxtaposition of the clever mothers next to their dim-witted husbands. Frequent black-and-white cartoon illustrations, both inset and full page, enliven the text and add a light comic tone. Complex vocabulary and sentence structure make this book a good fit for advanced young readers or as a read-aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Although pterodactyls and apatosauruses generally dislike each other, young Nosy the pterodactyl and Banty the apatosaurus become best friends, challenging their parents' prejudices as well. When a T. Rex terrorizes the neighborhood, the two hatch a plan to get rid of him. The story, illustrated with lively black-and-white cartoons, doesn't let its message overshadow the plot.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)