Dinosaurs Forever - Hardcover

Most experts say the Dinosaurs
Have been dead for countless Ages,
The fierce, the sly, the bold, the shy,
That march across these pages.
But as long as there are those of us
Who love "The Beast that Roars,"
No matter what the experts say--
There will always be Dinosaurs!

William Wise and Lynn Munsinger team up to produce a most unusual and entertaining collection of primeval poetry. Allosaurus, Ornitholestes, Triceratops, Velociraptor... no one knows for sure what these giant creatures were like, but Wise and Munsinger take a pretty wild guess. Using a primordial mixture of scientific fact, imagination, and clever wordplay, they determine that although Camptosaurus may have been a leafy shade of green, Tyrannosaurus Rex could never have been pink. Stout Allosaurus could never stick to her diets. And Gorgosaurus, with his mammoth teeth, must have suffered when his "reptile fangs" came to grief--what with no dentists around and all.

Munsinger has illustrated several other "monstrous" books, including Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight. Her playful pictures feature the prehistoric behemoths sipping tea, playing baseball, and soaking in bubble baths--yet every one is realistically drawn (as much as any dinosaur rendering can be). Consider this, dinosaur fans: any poem that rhymes "pugnacious" with "Cretaceous" is worth reading. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Twenty-one dinosaur poems and dozens of humorous drawings to delight dinosaur lovers of all ages will make this new collection a real favorite. Adults be warned: children will want these poems read aloud. Consult the helpful pronunciation guide before attempting such poems as The Awful Three, which includes the verse: The first was Rhamphorhynchus, / Hardly longer than your arm, / A grisly little monster / With very little charm. While the rhymes are sometimes forced--for example, ungracious Cretaceous--it's hard not to smile at the toothy vaudevillian T. Rex with straw hat and cane doing a soft shoe. The picture book set will giggle at the variety of urban dinosaurs in costume and clothing, lumbering though the city with Walkman, cell phone, running shoes, and skateboards. The author of Ten Sly Piranhas (1993) presents the familiar dinosaurs: T. Rex, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Triceratops, and the less familiar Gorgosaurus. While children will pick their own favorites, the last poem, Dinosaurs Forever, will speak to all: ... But as long as there are those of us / Who love ‘The Beast that Roars,' / No matter what the experts say-- / There will always be Dinosaurs! (Poetry. 5-9) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.