The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes (review)

Hughes, Hollie The Girl and the Dinosaur; illus. by Sarah Massini. Blooms-bury, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5476-0322-0 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5476-0323-7 $12.59 Reviewed from galleys Ad 2-4 yrs

The fisherfolk of a small town by the sea worry about young Marianne, insisting that the girl should be making friends rather than digging up bones from along the beach. Marianne has a plan, however, and after she puts her skeletal loot all together in the form of a dinosaur, she wishes the creature to life that night and soon has a magical pal to set out off into the sleeping world for adventure. The verse has a gentle, lulling cadence, and Marianne's journeys are dreamily bedtime-suitable. There's more prettiness than plot, though, as the story is mostly just a list of the magical creatures they encounter, and the phraseology is sometimes tired. The mixed-media illustrations have texture and warmth despite their cool nocturnal hue, with a solidity and brightness grounding the real-world scenes while muted tones and rhythmic composition sweep through the imaginative settings. The notion that the magic is all kid specific, with no adults nosing their way into the fun with rules or demands, is particularly appealing, and young viewers may be inspired to consider what their own grownup-free world would look like.