Dig Those Dinosaurs

PreS—Houran's rhyming text is just right for chanting (or singing along to the tune of "Skip to My Lou") at storytimes. As each stage of the process repeats ("Dig, dig, dig those dinosaurs" times three), young paleontologists carefully excavate dinosaur bones, assembling and displaying them in a museum. Two spreads are devoted to each of five verses. Marquez's pleasant illustrations portray the smiling crew members and museum visitors in soft, pastel shades. There is a major flaw, however; the triceratops skeletons are presented with their tails dragging on the ground, which is contrary to current scientific theory. Brief explanations of the five stages mentioned in the rhyme appear at the end of the book (where another dinosaur tail is correctly drawn). Librarians will have to weigh the book's child-appeal against the illustration mistake when deciding whether or not to purchase.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT