If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party by Jill Esbaum, illus. by Dasha Tolstikova

There are a few things you should be warned about if you're thinking it would be fun to have a T. Rex crash your birthday party, says the narrator of If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party:

First of all, a T. Rex is as big as a school bus. 

A klutzy, CRASHY school bus. 

Second of all, 
he'll have this weird way
of looking at you.

Like he's wondering how you'd taste with a little mustard.

Thus begins If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party. The story continues in the same vein, imagining all the crazy things that might happen if a T. Rex showed up at a birthday party. How he'd accidentally pop the bouncy castle with his 10-inch nails. How easily his temper would flare. How terrible he'd be at hide and seek because of his size. All the trouble his little arms would cause.

But, in the end, you'd be perfectly happy if the T. Rex wanted to return, next year.

Highly recommended - I love everything about If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party: the humor ("T. Rex + toys = disaster"), the colorful illustrations on a clean, white background -- fresh, fun, and easy on the eyes -- the delightful storyline. Given the number of dinosaur books that are available, I'm astounded by how inventive the stories can be. If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party is 40 pages of bright, imaginative fun and a new favorite that I'm eagerly looking forward to reading to my granddaughter when I see her.

©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum and Keika Yamaguchi

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum
Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi
Copyright 2016
Sterling Children's Books - Ages 4 - 7
40 pp.

Teeny Tiny Toady begins with a disaster. "Help, Teeny!" her mother cries as a human hand snatches her up and plops her into a bucket. Teeny dashes home to get help from her 7 strapping big brothers, who come running to help but toss in a demeaning "We'll save her!" as they run out the door:

Brothers tumbled, bumble-jumble,
as they stumbled for the door.
"Don't you worry, kid. We'll save her!"
Off the seven toadies tore.

They try pushing the bucket over. No luck. Teeny wonders aloud, "Could we lift her out somehow?" but nobody listens. Instead, one of her brothers pats her on the head, pushes her out of the huddle and says, "We can handle this." But, their first attempt is fruitless. Then . . .

Teeny said, "You need a ladder."
"Guys, a LADDER'S what we need!"
"You're a GENIUS, brother!" one toad said.
"He ROCKS!" the rest agreed.

Of course, Teeny ends up saving the day after her brothers try to rescue mama and all of them fall into the bucket. Left on her own, she returns to her original thought process and succeeds. And, they do acknowledge her brilliant idea after they're rescued.

What I really love about Teeny Tiny Toady is that you know from the beginning that Teeny has ideas with merit but since her brothers alternately ignore her or pass on her ideas without giving her credit, she's experiencing what absolutely every female goes through, at one time or another. Teeny Tiny Toady shows that with persistence and refusal to allow yourself to be degraded by false expectations and demeaning comments from the opposite gender, a girl can end up solving tough problems. We all need to learn that lesson as early as possible.

Highly recommended: Cute illustrations and a fun, rhyming storyline illuminate a common kind of problem that runs deep for females in today's world and how persistence and faith in your own ideas will get you through. I love the surprising depth of this children's book. It's the kind of story every little girl needs to hear repeatedly, the younger the better. Wahoo for an early intro to feminism!


©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.