Chae Strathie

Dinosaur-loving Max and his pal T-Rex return in this follow-up to Dear Dinosaur. Dismayed when he discovers that T-Rex and the other dinosaurs have gone on tour, Max is encouraged to write letters to his friend, which he promptly does, getting letters and postcards from all over the world in response. Soon enough, the traveling dinosaurs are home again, and the pals are reunited...

Like its predecessor, Dear Dinosaur: T. Rex on Tour is an entertaining and interactive picture-book, with actual letters and postcards included, some printed on the page and some needing to be unfolded from the page in order to read. The story is engaging, as T-Rex travels from place to place and he and Max exchanges missives, while the artwork is colorful and attention-grabbing, emphasizing the humor of a group of dinosaurs on a world trip. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers, and to anyone who read and enjoyed Dear Dinosaur.… (mehr)

When Max visits the museum, he is so entranced by the T-Rex that the exhibit specialist, Dinosaur Dora, suggests that he write a letter to the therapod and ask him some questions. So begins an amusing correspondence, as Max eventually wins the Tyrannosaurus over with his enthusiasm and friendship...

An entertaining and interactive book, Dear Dinosaur includes the letters written back and forth between Max and the T-Rex, sometimes printed on the page, sometimes attached and needing to be folded out. The story from Chae Strathie is sweet, and sure to appeal to young dinosaur lovers who dream of having a prehistoric friend of their own. The artwork from illustrator Nicola O'Byrne is colorful and cute, capturing the humor of the story. I did wonder a bit, given that this is a British book, why the dinosaur's address is in Greenville, South Carolina. Was this changed for the American edition? I have discovered that there is an interactive dinosaur exhibit that opened at Greenville's Upcountry History Museum this past year, 2018, but given that the book was first published in 2017, I don't think that can be the explanation. Needless to say, this question of address in no way detracted from my enjoyment, it just puzzled me a bit. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers, and to anyone looking for picture-books that are interactive, and have fold-out pieces.… (mehr)

A new ice cream shop opens up in town, and all the animals are eager to place their order. No matter how odd their request might be, Sam is able to whip up the perfect concoction for them. But when Gorilla comes in and orders a giant vanilla ice cream cone, everyone starts to regret their previous choice...

This is a fairly quick picture book read without much of a didactic nature, although there are a couple of underlying messages about acceptance and being kind that can extrapolated. There is a small amount of textual repetition, which kids both learn from and enjoy. The illustrations are bright and lively, although a teensy bit more on the cartoonish side than I usually like. There is a je ne sais quois about this book that lends it an air of just sheer fun. Reading it aloud is a treat as well as you can throw yourself into doing different voices for each animal that walks into the ice cream shop. The only real downside is the lack of diversity -- the only human character is a young African-American boy, which is nice, but even with a cast of mostly animals, there are very few female characters.… (mehr)