Review by Booklist Review
Like the other entries in the popular How Do Dinosaurs series, this amusing picture book has two sections. The first concerns what a dinosaur should not do during the Festival of Lights ( Does he grab up the gelt, squeezing the candy coins till they all melt? ), while the second deals with what he does ( He sings every prayer, takes turns with the dreidel, remembers to share ). Reflecting how young dino-fans might see themselves, the enormous dinosaurs are the only nonhuman (and initially uncivilized) members of the various families depicted in the dramatic double-page paintings. Relatively unfamiliar dinosaur species are featured in the story's illustrations and also on the attractive endpapers, where children will enjoy finding them again. The droll text invites audience participation, while the paintings of enormous, childlike dinosaurs in domestic settings call for laughter. Don't miss Yolen and Teague's simultaneously published and equally satisfying companion volume, How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? HIGH-DEMAND BACK STORY: The best-selling, long-running Yolen-Teague series gets a boost with two holiday-themed stories to entice fans and new readers alike.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Yolen and Teague score a winner with this playful Chanukah story brought to life with bright and engaging illustrations. Each page poses a question of how a dinosaur would behave during the eight days of Hanukkah with a cute rhyme like, "Does he peek at the presents stashed under Dad's bed?/ Does he write his own name on each gift card instead?" Each possible mischievous behavior illustrates one aspect of the holiday, including playing dreidel, lighting candles, and sharing gelt. Children will appreciate the larger-than-life dinosaurs and their amusing antics and learn just how to behave during this fun holiday. Up to age 4. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-In this addition to the popular series, 10 more mischievous dinosaurs are acting up, this time during the eight nights of Hanukkah. With their characteristic childlike antics, these dinos fuss and fidget during the menorah blessings, blow out the Hanukkah candles, write their own name on all the presents, and squeeze the Hanukkah gelt until it melts. Yet by the fifth night, they are singing the prayers, sharing the dreidel, helping with the dishes, and spending time with the grandparents. While there is nothing particularly new about this title, the tried-and-true formula works here, namely a deceptively simple rhyming text that serves as a sturdy foundation for the brilliantly humorous illustrations. As with the earlier books, children will love seeing what sorts of trouble the dinosaurs get into while appreciating the loving familial feeling that comes from celebrating the holiday together.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. 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
How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen; illus. by Mark TeaguePreschool Blue Sky/Scholastic 32 pp.Now appearing in board-book form, Yolen and Teague's mischievous dinos (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, among many others) tackle winter holiday traditions and observances-first modeling bad behavior (blowing out the Chanukkah candles, un-decorating the Christmas tree), then demonstrating decorum. Bouncy rhymes and humorous illustrations of vivacious large-scale dinosaurs alongside staid humans combine for cheery and welcome holiday-book entries; the new slightly-taller-than-usual board book format is an apt match for the stories' outsized protagonists. Elissa GershowitzNovember/December 2019 p.36(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Yolen and Teague's rascally dinosaurs bring their mischief to the titular holiday, illustrating the many ways it is recognized and celebrated by similarly behaving children in American Jewish households. Yolen's facile rhyme in question-and-answer format subtly displays the poor and corresponding acceptable conduct for each aspect of the celebratory eight nights. "Does a dinosaur act up / on Chanukah nights / when Mama comes in / with the holiday lights?" Fidgeting through the nightly prayers, grabbing the chocolate candy coins and snatching the dreidels so no one can play are examples judiciously countered with "No / a dinosaur doesn't. / He sings every prayer, // takes turns with the dreidel, / remembers to share." Teague's familiar collection of humorous, oversized dinosaurs sporting scaly bodies, clawed feet and fang-filled smiles within the confines of a normal home will keep young Paleolithic enthusiasts riveted. Per the series formula, each page features one labeled prehistoric beast, and the endpapers contain all 10 varieties included in the visual portion of the story. Entertaining and loving, though the concepts and legend behind the annual weeklong winter remembrance are missing. (Picture book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
