How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? (How Do Dinosaurs...?)

PreS-Gr 2—This much-needed addition to the series explores everyday situations. Yolen's rhyming text tackles recreational safety ("He wears/a good helmet/when riding his bike/takes bottles of water/when on a long hike."), safety at home ("Is he rough with the cat?/Does he stand up/on chairs?/When Mama says 'No!'/does he run down the stairs?"), and a reminder that every "dinosaur" should know when and how to dial 911. Teague's bright illustrations are wonderfully whimsical, with colorful dinosaurs taking up the bulk of the spreads. Their expressions, and those of the diverse humans, are a delight, from the worried looks of dinos behaving unsafely to the loving looks of caregivers seeing their charges safe and having fun. Seasoned dinosaur enthusiasts will appreciate having the proper name for each creature included in the text and endpapers. Books on safety can verge on didactic, but not this simple, lovely title—it's all sorts of fun. An excellent addition to all picture book collections.—Amy Koester, Learning Experiences Department, Skokie PL

Throughout the How Do Dinosaurs series, prehistoric carnivores and herbivores have showed off some less-than-perfect behavior in modern settings. Now Yolen and Teague take the idea a bit farther: what about when a young dino (or human) is acting in a way that isn't just "bad" but dangerous? "If anyone dares him, / does he always try/ to jump from the rooftop/ as if he could fly?" asks Yolen as a gigantosaurus perches tentatively atop a suburban home. As always, examples of better (and, in this case, safer) actions follow, and while Teague's illustrations generally play the situations for laughs, the book's seriousness of purpose won't be lost on readers. Ages 3-5. (Feb.)