BRONTO EATS MEAT

A boy with a big imagination and a brontosaurus with a big appetite (and belly to match) both get more than they bargain for in this snappy picture-book fantasy. When young herbivore Bronto experiences a bout of gastric distress, a hospital X-ray reveals the cause—a boy named Billy, who accidentally got swallowed along with a tasty tree that Bronto devoured earlier in the day. A dino doc concludes that Bronto must expel the human irritant via one of three "disgusting, but effective" bodily functions—the type that many young readers will find funny (although some may be less entertained by a graphic image of Bronto vomiting). One hundred cans of "Slurp 'n' Burp soda" prove to be the perfect antidote for Bronto's tummy trouble. Unfortunately, said account of Billy's wild, gaseous dinosaur adventure earns the boy an "F-" from his humorless teacher. Kids will revel in the silliness here, taking the elements of Billy's presumed tall tale in stride. Happily, the broad comic strokes allow readers to laugh knowingly at Billy's classroom trials, rather than view his teacher and fellow students as creativity quashers. With a curved line and simple shapes, Maloney and Zekauskas (Redbird at Rockefeller Center; Belly Button Boy) give their watercolor-pastel-pencil compositions a childlike lightness of mood. A combination of cool-toned pastels and zingy citrus hues keep the fun on track. Ages 4-8. (May)