Dino-Swimming

August 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-It's the Land Sharks (carnivores) versus the Algae Eaters (herbivores) in the swim meet at the center of this latest addition to the series. As in the previous books, readers will find an accurate depiction of the sport, even if license is taken with the participants. The dinosaurs compete in events from medley and freestyle to a diving competition, culminating in a relay that the Algae Eaters come together to win, even if their opponents win the meet. The dinosaurs behave just like kids, pouting at times, making false starts, and displaying nerves. Though sometimes dinosaurs' names are shortened to fit the scheme of the rhyming text (for example, "Ankylo's rhythms are slow and steady"), learning about dinosaurs is not really the point. VERDICT Bright illustrations full of movement and a bouncy rhyming text convey the basics of a swim meet in a fun way.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Preschool-G The dinosaur teams from the seven previous dino-sports mash-up books by Wheeler and Gott don their Speedos, caps, and goggles for a swim meet between the Land Sharks (carnivores) and the Algae Eaters (herbivores). Fans of the other books will find much of the same herea text in rhyming couplets, and lots of action with little characterization or nuanceexactly as the coverage of a sporting event should be. A smidgen of drama comes into play when Triceratops is disqualified; however, in this case, it's an honest mistake, rather than the squabbling that has cropped up between the dinos in past sporting events. With each team winning a few races, the result is a nail-biting finish. The energetic, brightly colored illustrations feature stylized dinosaurs with enough authenticity that little dinosaur experts will be appeased. Diehard dino-sports fans will be relieved that the final page confirms there will be a ninth dino sporting eventone that involves cars.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)