Rappy the Raptor

PreS-Gr 2—Everything about Rappy, who speaks only in rhyme, suggests that he is cool—from his baseball cap turned sideways to his skateboard-cool clothes to his contemporary slang ("I'm rappin' with my peeps"). He believes that he started talking in rhyme after plummeting out of his tree house and hitting his head following a foolish attempt to fly as a baby dinosaur. His upbeat and silly rhymes showcase Gutman's zany humor while advancing the story: "My parents freaked out;/they didn't know what to do./Should they take me to the doctor?/Or take me to the zoo?" After a longer-than-anticipated stay at the hospital along with numerous indignities ("The doctors looked me in the eye/and looked me in the ear./ And I'm not ashamed to say/they even looked me in the rear"), Rappy finds out that he was born speaking this way. In this straightforward way, Gutman celebrates the importance of individual differences and self-acceptance. Bowers's bright illustrations, featuring dinosaurs with oversize heads and wearing human clothing, perfectly complement the tone of the story.