Dinosaur vs. the Library (review)

Rowdy, roaring Dinosaur (from Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, BCCB 10/08, etc.) is back, this time on an outing to the library. Along the way he encounters various animals (a cow, baby chicks, a shy turtle, a sad owl) against whom he "wins" by convincing them to quit what they are doing/saying and roar along with him. When Dinosaur gets to the library ("where no one has ever roared before"), he is admonished to "use his inside roar," which he does happily . . . until storytime begins: "BUT WAIT! ...Can Dinosaur not roar for a whole story?" The last page shows a quiet Dinosaur paying rapt attention to a book while the text claims, "The library wins! Okay, they both win." Dinosaur's shtick is wearing a bit thin here, as his "vanquishing" of the different critters is rather weak (they make their sounds, he roars at them, then they roar, too), and the abrupt end in which Dinosaur actually has to curtail his roaring altogether may relieve the librarians leading storytime (and the parents in attendance), but it will probably disappoint younger fans of the rebellious reptile. Still, Dinosaur is a deservedly popular guy, and Shea's striking, color-saturated digital artwork, accented with thick black outlines and bold-faced text, is definitely a candy-colored feast for the eyes. This would lend itself, naturally, to library storytime use, but might also be considered by parents wanting to prep their obstreperous offspring for a trip to the local library.