Dinosaur Island

Maddy and Bing are heading to Dinosaur Island, hoping to find a real dinosaur. Little do they know that dinosaurs are hidden all around them, some easy for readers to spot, others more obscure. The fun in this book is that children will be able to see the creatures while the book's protagonists miss them altogether. ``It's too bad we didn't see any dinosaurs,'' they say at the end of their otherwise fun trip; readers, on the other hand, will feel successful and even proud. (There is a key at the end of the book with the names and phonetic spelling of the dinosaurs pictured.) Unfortunately, while this is a great idea, the illustrations are colorful and cartoony in this debut and the design is charming, the text doesn't have much bite. Still, eager eyes will have fun poring over this book to find the hidden dinosaurs. Ages 4-up. (Oct.)