Dinosaur vs. Bedtime (review)

Roar! Roar! Roar! Nothing can stop a dinosaur. Whether our little dinosaur guy is facing off against a pile of leaves, a big slide, a bowl of spaghetti, or talking grownups, the result is always the same: “Dinosaur wins!” Dinosaur’s biggest challenge, however, is bedtime, and when his roars diminish and turn into snores, it’s clear that bedtime has bested him again. It’s almost impossible to read this silently, so enticing is the sequence of roars and the Wrestlemania-style trouncing of adversaries, with page turns dramatically heralding each new opponent and every dinosaur victory. Visuals have the same vigor and joie de vivre as the text: Dinosaur, a fire-enginered critter barely contained by solid, crayonesque lines, may be spikily clawed and pointy-teethed, but he’s as much preschooler as he is stegosaurus with his bounce, sub-grownup size, stripy PJs, and bedtime wilting. Digital precision marries with retro styling in backgrounds of celery and harvest gold and touches of pattern, while interspersed photographic collage elements and big type, often in dramatic all-caps, add emphasis and interest. Young dinosaurs will soon join in gleefully on the roars and the repeated refrain, and sheer literary momentum may be enough to send listeners roaring off to bed along with Dinosaur.