Dinosaur Kisses

Starred review from May 20, 2013
Chomp! Stomp! Whomp! Dinah is a wide-eyed, speckled baby dinosaur who wants to try everything, but finesse is not her strong point. She has stubby legs, an eager smile, and a matchless set of jaws. When two tiny creatures kiss each other at Dinah’s feet, Dinah wants to try, too. Her first victim gets a bite on the rear, the next one is flattened by her big dinosaur stompers, and the third gets... eaten. “Whoops,” says Dinah. “Not good.” Only when another baby dinosaur appears does Dinah find a playmate whose life she won’t endanger. “What’s kiss?” the other dinosaur asks, and the two explore affection—rather violently. Stein (Ol’ Mama Squirrel) draws Dinah with a simple, cookie-cutter outline, but her stricken expressions and forthright pursuit of love are plenty complex. Dinah’s swampy world features a sulfurous yellow sky and pint-size volcanoes that explode quietly in the distance. Kids will plunge into the whomping and chomping with glee, and they’ll understand a hero who means to be careful, but who ends up stomping all over things anyway. Ages 2–5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

September 1, 2013

PreS-K-Dinah, a baby dinosaur, is just out of her egg and ready to explore her green, swampy home. She learns to walk (stomp!) and to eat (chomp!), but the next thing Dinah sees (a kiss) she has to learn more about. She stomps all over looking for a special someone to kiss, making unsuccessful and funny attempts along the way. A fishlike creature gets a "whomp!" a dinosaur gets a "chomp!" and a reptilian critter gets a "stomp!" Realizing that she must pucker up politely to get her elusive kiss, Dinah finds her next would-be smooch, but she accidentally eats him. Finally, she befriends another baby dinosaur, and the two noisy buddies chomp, stomp, and whomp kisses to their hearts' content. Kids will love the cheeky but thoughtful expressions on Dinah's face, and the bottom-bitten dinosaur is sure to bring gleeful chuckles. Rendered in pen-and-ink, charcoal, watercolor, and crayon, the illustrations are bold, simple, and humorous. Dinah's big, goofy smile is sure to be reflected in the faces of her young admirers.-Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014

PreS-K-With no sound effects, bells, or whistles, this production highlights the joy that can be found in someone simply reading a book with enthusiasm. Read with playful intonation by Jessica Almasy, the story of Dinah the Dinosaur's search for the perfect kiss technique will elicit belly laughs from toddlers and preschoolers. Every guttural "WHOMP," "CHOMP," and "STOMP" in Dinah's exploration of kissing will delight young listeners, but the recording must be paired with David Ezra Stein's illustrations for full comic effect. The tracks are identical, but with page turn signals on track two. This is a perfect choice for little dinosaur lovers and zealous smoochers.-Jennifer Verbrugge, Dakota County Library, Eagan, MN

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Chomping and stomping come naturally to an exuberant dinosaur hatchling. Kissing? That takes practice. Emerging from her egg at a run, Dinah STOMPS her fat legs and CHOMPS weeds with her sharp teeth. Kissing, though, turns out to be a challenge. After sending one hapless victim flying with a head butt and another inadvertently down the hatch ("Whoops," she says. "Not good"), she returns to the hatchery...just in time to welcome a new sib with kisses--the sort that involve chomping, stomping and delighted head butts ("WHOMP!"). Drawn in thick outlines with a huge grin, wide eyes and a mottled yellow hide, Dinah stumps her way through minimally detailed prehistoric landscapes populated with anxious-looking smaller creatures. Children who groove on wimpy little butterfly kisses had best look elsewhere. A kissing cousin to Bob Shea's Dinosaur vs.... series. (Picture book. 3-5)

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January 1, 2014
Newly hatched Dinah the dinosaur decides to give kissing a try. She doesn't know her own strength, though, and her puppyish attempts at affection miss their marks. Dinah finally meets her match when one of her nest-mates hatches. Stein's engaging illustrations work hand in hand with his simple, energetic text. Friendly Dinah takes center stage.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013
Dinah the dinosaur bursts out of her egg, eager to experience her (prehistoric) world. After some exploratory stomping and chomping, she sees two little fluffy animals puckering up for a kiss and decides to give it try. Dinah doesn't know her own strength, though, and her puppyish attempts at affection miss their marks -- in a big way. Her first victim recipient, a small aquatic-ish creature, gets head-butted instead of kissed. Next, she chomps down on the hindquarters of an unappreciative big dinosaur. The third time is not the charm: Dinah flattens a two-legged fish, possibly setting evolution back a few millennia ("Whoops"). Stein's engaging illustrations work hand in hand with his simple, energetic text. The bare, but not barren, landscape features pink and yellow skies and a lush green foreground dotted with occasional plants and a few primordial pools of water. Friendly Dinah takes center stage; her silly antics never look threatening. She finally meets her match when one of her nest-mates hatches, and the two "kiss" -- a.k.a. chomp and stomp and whomp -- to their hearts' content. Preschool humor at its finest. kitty flynn

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)