Dinosaur, Dinosaur

The dinosaur hero of this story may be little, but he's got big things to do over the course of the day. After a "grumpy-lumpy" wake-up, a "yummy-tummy" breakfast, tenacious teeth brushing and getting dressed, he heads outside for non-stop play with his prehistoric pals until bathtime and bedtime. Lewis and Kirk, produce a tale that's not as satisfying as their Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo . Lewis's rhymes are less crisp here ("Dinosaur, dinosaur,/ laughing without care./ Funny-bunny dinosaur,/ jumping everywhere). Kirk has a gift for creating smooth, alluring surfaces and characters reminiscent of vintage plasticine toys, but the scaly characters at times seem static. Still, the book zips along with the speed of a velociraptor, and the domestic scenes sport the kind of details that will likely tickle young readers' fancies—they'll note, among other things, that the family pet is a saber-tooth cat, and the hero's favorite stuffed toy is a woolly mammoth. Ages 3-5. (Feb.)