Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Taunting and name-calling go all the way back to the Cretaceous period, according to Donaldson's (The Gruffalo) tale of dinosaur species that don't see eye to eye. Lively rhyming text quickly establishes the battle lines in the swamp as the duckbill dinosaurs hoot, Up with rivers!... Up with reeds!... Up with bellyfuls of juicy water weeds!--only to be answered with, Up with hunting!... Up with war!... Up with bellyfuls of duckbill dinosaur! from the T. rex camp. Not even a classic mix-up--a duckbill egg hatching in a T. rex nest--can change the dynamic. The out-of-place duckbill, disparagingly called Drip by his adoptive siblings, saves the day, serving the carnivores' comeuppance, but the story lacks heart, with the victors no more sympathetic than the bullies. Roberts's (Mouse Noses on Toast) cartoon dinos have anthropomorphic arms and bulging eyes; they cavort among intricately detailed tree trunks and subtly patterned water. A few volcanoes flaming in the distance and riverbanks strewn with various bones and brambles or lush with foliage keep readers in the prehistoric era. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-In this prehistoric setting, waterweed-eating duckbill dinosaurs live on one side of a river, and a "mean Tyrannosaurus with his grim and grisly bride" live on the other. "What a shame that bridges aren't invented yet," the Tyrannosauruses say. But then a duckbill egg accidentally lands in the T. rex nest via an egg-snatching Compsognathus. The hatchling is dubbed Tyrannosaurus Drip by his sisters because he prefers to eat plants and sings "Down with hunting! Down with war!" instead of singing "Up with hunting! Up with war!" Just as Drip discovers his true family, lightning strikes and, lo and behold, a tree bridge forms across the river. Hilarity ensues as the rather dense Tyrannosauruses attempt to cross. The dinosaurs are rendered in an Art Deco-influenced style, and the lines roll off the tongue like the rhymes of Dr. Seuss. Children will enjoy the repetitive lilt, and adults will appreciate how naturally it reads. Expressive characters enhance the humor, and the limited palette helps emphasize just how different the creatures' worlds are. An enjoyable group read-aloud.-Kim T. Ha, Elkridge Branch Library, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A river is all that separates the placid duckbill dinosaurs from the hungry tyrannosaurs on the other side. This sideways retelling of the Ugly Duckling tale has a duckbill hatchling raised as a T-rex until he runs away and discovers his own kind. The rhythm of the text is as right as the goofy details strewn throughout the clean-lined illustrations. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
With scansion firmly in hand, Donaldson pens a rhymed tale of dino-heroism perfectly complemented by Roberts's comical cartoon scenes of toothy carnivores and trumpet-mouthed vegetarians. Foraging contentedly along the river ("And they hooted, 'Up with rivers!' and they hooted, 'Up with reeds.' / And they hooted, 'Up with bellyfuls of juicy water weeds!' ") the duckbills feel safe from the nonswimming T. Rex clan ("And they shouted, 'Up with hunting!' and they shouted, 'Up with war!' / And they shouted, 'Up with bellyfuls of duckbill dinosaur!' ") on the other side. But then a storm knocks down a well-placed tree that bridges the two banks. Fortunately, the toothy but dim predators have been fostering a stray duckbill--scornfully dubbed "Tyrannosaurus Drip" by his clueless fellow nestlings--who rises to his own species's defense and, thanks to some quick thinking, tricks the T. Rexes into a soggy retreat. Holding firmly to the courage of his vegetarian convictions, T. Drip is definitely a dino worth hooting over. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
