If Dinosaurs Came to Town

This oversized, cartoony book invites youngsters to fantasize about the potential for disruption and upset if dinosaurs were to come back to today's world. In a series of detailed and jumbled landscapes, kids are treated to a relentless series of familiar tableaux now populated by a wide variety of pesky, sometimes threatening and destructive dinosaurs. The text merges facts about food choices and habitat with a strained story line--a device that ultimately falls flat. Most devoted dinosaur fans seem to prefer their facts unadorned with overly busy illustrations like those found here. Attempting to cover several bases, this unfocused mix of fact and fantasy fails to click. Ages 4-9. (Apr.)