Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

"Doo-bop-a-loo-bop!" In this rollicking romp through a prehistoric weekend, dinosaurs frolic and caper the night away. After some initial early evening shuffling shyness, these party animals are ready to get down, doing the Triassic Twist and the Brontosaurus Bump, the Raptor Rap and Jurassic Jump. With all this rhythm and rhyme, it's no wonder romance is soon afoot: "Tarchia winked at a stegosaur she liked. They danced together, spike to spike." This outrageous book provides a much more appealing theory behind the disappearance of dinosaurs, and hints at the possibility of another Dinosaur Stomp someday in the future. Scott Nash's wonderfully friendly bopping beasts radiate a contagious exuberance with their smiling, simple faces and bright colors and patterns. Carol Diggory Shields couldn't have found a better match for her rocking, rolling, twirling, tromping, "scientifically accurate (more or less)" dinosaurs. A guaranteed favorite that will have young children gleefully chanting "Boomalacka boomalacka! Whack! Whack! WHACK!" (Click to see a sample spread. Text ©1997 by Carol Diggery Shields. Illustrations ©1997 by Scott Nash. Permission by Candlewick Press.) (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Carol Diggory Shields is the author of The Bugliest Bug and Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, which she was inspired to write after "being called a Nagosaurus by my five-year-old". Currently a children's librarian, Carol has also worked with children as a recreational therapist and at one time was a designer of stuffed toys. Her years of being around children have definitely helped her get a feel for the stories that kids love, told in animated verse with an infectious beat. The author of several books for children, Carol lives in northern California. Find Carol online at www.caroldiggoryshields.net.Scott Nash is the illustrator of Oh, Tucker! and The Bugliest Bug, and is the author-illustrator of Tuff Fluff. A co-founder of a design studio specializing in children's products and media, he lives in Boston and Maine, USA. Find Scott on Twitter as @nashbox.