The Dino Door

A prehistoric portal offers more than diversion in this inventive picture book from Funk (the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series) and Kurilla (Today at School). A pale-skinned dinosaur enthusiast, dressed in a full-body costume, would rather do anything than tackle the to-do list tacked up on their bedroom wall. Punchy dinosaur puns chronicle avoidant behaviors: “Dino soar” accompanies the child’s tossing a purple triceratops stuffie in the air; “Dino score” attends a blue stegosaurus being stuffed into a basketball hoop. When “Dino BORE” sets into the pastel-hued bedroom scenes, the protagonist assembles art supplies and draws a “Dino door” to escape into an imaginary world bursting with cuddly reptiles who party on a tropical “Dino shore” and eat “Dino s’mores.” There, saturated blues, greens, oranges, and pinks represent a dreamscape that’s as irresistible as procrastination itself. And having taken a moment in pleasure and play, the child returns to reality refreshed and ready to tackle the list, suggesting that imagination and responsibility can coexist—in any era. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)