cover image We're Back a Dinosaur's Story

We're Back a Dinosaur's Story

Hudson Talbott. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $15 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-517-56599-5

Vorb hangs down from a flying saucer and offers some dinosaurs the break of a lifetime; he's from Mega-Mind Inc. and is test-marketing a new product, Brain Grainwith an extra special bonus prize and free snacks. With Brain Grain, a dinosaur first experiences a ""new me'' and, eventually, a ``new us.'' The prize? A drop into midtown Manhattan in the 20th century. Destination: Dr. Bleeb's Museum of Natural History. The gang parades in a Thanksgiving celebration but soon they're discovered to be real out-of-towners and are chased all the way to the museum, where they're saved by Dr. Bleeb. Those who think original dinosaur books are extinct are going to change their minds with this one. A very welcome bunch of monsters has landed in kids' laps; Talbot's prehistoric characters exhibit real stage presence, from the glint in their eyes to the way they slather over those snacks. Ages 3-7. (September)