Synopsis
Entering a door at the Natural History Museum marked "No Admittance," Katie finds herself in the world of the dinosaurs. She helps a baby dinosaur find his family, rides on the back of a Brontosaurus, and has a picnic with a Triceratops. But just what will she feed a very hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex?
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-- Katie loves the natural history museum and wants to show everything to her grandmother. She is particularly enamored with the dinosaurs, which the woman dismisses as a bunch of old bones, leaving Katie to explore on her own. Being the type of child to whom the words ``Absolutely no admittance whatsoever'' mean nothing, Katie passes through a doorway into a marvelous prehistoric landscape crawling with appealing, multicolored dinosaurs. She befriends a baby Hadrosaurus, and the two gambol about, oblivious to the fact that they are being closely scrutinized by a lip-licking Tyrannosaurus rex camouflaged in the foliage. Fortunately, the contents of Katie's lunch box satisfy the omnivore, and she finds her way safely back to her grandmother. The squiggly, sepia-ink cartoons are brightened with vivid watercolor washes. The easily recognizable dino species sport a variety of shades not usually found in nature but they somehow suit the scenario. This humorous story is both fanciful and informative, concluding with a dinosaur glossary and a few facts about fossils. --Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library