Dinos Driving

Dinosaurs hit the road as Leitch and Ritchie pair eight species with their ideal vehicles. “Iguanadon drives electric,” reads emblematically simple text accompanying a portrait of the vegetarian atop a charging car. Compsognathus—described in back matter as “small but fast”—holds the keys to a sleek red sports car. And Triceratops—noted as preferring group travel—bikes with four leather-jacket-clad motorcyclists. Set against white backgrounds, Ritchie’s cartoonlike pencil, ink, and digital art presents the subjects’ personalities with an anthropomorphized stylishness befitting their vehicle of choice: Velociraptors sit easily in a minicar, while Diplodocus less comfortably occupies a yellow school bus. Though the reasoning behind each pairing may not be immediately clear to readers, a playfully tender concluding scene should fuel driving daydreams. Back matter includes facts and discussion prompts. Ages 2–5. (Aug.)