Too Many Dinosaurs

K-Gr 2—A boy whose mother won't let him get a dog instead buys a dinosaur egg for a dollar at Mr. Jerry's yard sale. A triceratops hatches, sneaks away, and spends the morning causing trouble in the neighborhood, and the boy needs help catching his new pet. Luckily, Mr. Jerry has a dinosaur horn he's willing to lend that should bring the creature back. Unfortunately, it works too well and all manner of dinosaurs appear when it's blown. They follow the panicked boy home where his mother demands that he "Do something." One more blow on the horn and miraculously the dinosaurs begin to fade away and disappear. In the aftermath, the exasperated mother says, "That's it. You're getting a puppy." Mayer's colloquial text and unmistakable illustrative style are both present here. The illustrations are full-page or cutouts surrounded by white space and done in rich colors. The text is placed in and around them to good effect. Plenty of background details spice up the very funny scenes for observant readers, and wild action and chases abound. Kids will love the clever twist at the end, where they see what happened to the dinosaurs.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH