cover image Some Dinosaurs Are Small

Some Dinosaurs Are Small

Charlotte Voake. Candlewick, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-0936-5

Loosely sketched ink and watercolor illustrations enliven this quiet picture book, which humorously depicts dinosaurs' different sizes and shapes. A tiny, smiling green dino swings a yellow basket the same size as it, harvesting pineapples and pears to consume using "tiny flat teeth for munching through fruit and leaves." Tension mounts over the next few pages, however, as a trio of larger tyrannosaurids spot the small dino and give chase. Voake takes a bit of creative license regarding the food chain%E2%80%94the trio uses their "huge pointy teeth and sharp claws" to "take food from little dinosaurs"%E2%80%94before the narrative comes to a surprising, gratifying close. Text size coordinates with the size of each dinosaur, and Voake's pacing of both narrative and art is well matched. A fun romp for the youngest dinosaur fans. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (Aug.)