Dini Dinosaur

Publishers Weekly

Even youngest toddlers will guess what’s coming next in this bath-time story about a baby dinosaur who neglects to take off his clothes before getting cleaned up. When Mama announces that muddy Dini Dinosaur needs to bathe before bedtime, he is happy to comply: “Dirty Dini Dinosaur/ splashed in the tub/ He tried to wash his feet/ with a... scrub-a-dub-dub!/ Silly Dini Dinosaur!/ Don’t you know?/ You have to take your shoes off... ‘Back you go!’” Beaumont (Where’s My T-R-U-C-K?) repeats her buoyant, nursery rhyme–style pattern for Dini’s pants, shirt, and hat; finally, Dini’s mother gives him a thorough scrubbing of his horns, back, scales, and toenails, before tucking him in for the night. Though there’s no real drama—Dini is a willing bathgoer, and mama is none too upset about Dini’s clothes, which get sparklingly clean in the process—Roode’s cheerful digital artwork, which is stylistically in keeping with his Little Bea books, features lots of smiles, bubbles, and hugs that work well with the book’s sweet-natured, end-of-the-day vibe. Ages 2–5. (Mar.)

School Library Journal

PreS-K—A baby dinosaur is dirty from playing in the mud and sand, so it's bath time before bed for this lovable little guy. But, every time he tries to wash, he's stymied because he neglects to remove his shoes, shirt, pants, hat, etc. You get the idea. Mom says, in what becomes a repeated refrain: "Silly Dini Dinosaur!/Don't you know?/ You have to take your pants off…Back you go!" She finally helps him and makes sure that he's clean with a "scrub-a-dub-dub" behind his horns and under his toenails. The digital illustrations are bright, colorful, and playful. With a few sentences on each page, this nonsensical story will work well for storyhours or for one-on-one sharing. At times, the rhyme scheme is a bit off, but the overall execution works well. Pair this book with Julia Kay's Gulliver Snip (Holt, 2008) for an upbeat bath-time adventure.—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY

Kirkus Reviews

A delicious bit of bathtime flummery, delivered by a dirty little dino and his oddly inattentive mother. A day's play in the mud and sand leaves Dini covered in splotches from sneakers to cowboy hat. Into the tub he hops, but, "Silly Dini Dinosaur! / Don't you know? / You have to take your SHOES off… / you go!" Following a repeat of this pattern for Dini's pants, shirt and hat, Mama finishes off by scrubbing the parts he's missed, and then it's off to snoozeland for both. Beaumont's buoyant, bouncy verse practically reads itself aloud, and it will not take long before young listeners fling themselves into the performance, chiming in with the "scrub-a-dub-dub!" refrain. Early-literacy skills are boosted by subtle textual cues that place the key word not only in all caps but in a color that matches the article of clothing in question. Roode complements the text with big, simple pictures filled with smiles (Dini's accessorized by one tiny fang) and sudsy bubbles. For newly fledged self-dressers, a cogent reminder that what goes on, must come off. (Picture book. 2-4)