Horn Book Review
Temporarily conquered by sleep in the rousing -- rousing for readers, that is -- Dinosaur vs. Bedtime (rev. 9/08), the little red dynamo is back in action, thumbing his snout at new opponents. Shea sticks to the tried-and-true pattern from the first book: Dinosaur loudly triumphs over a variety of tasks ('Dinosaur versus. . .making lemonade! Roar! Roar! Mix! Squeeze! Roar!') until, inevitably, he bows to the call of nature. Bold design elements -- heavy outline, lots of color, playful placement of type, etc. -- echo the character's T. rex-sized personality as he romps through a lawn sprinkler, drinks three juice boxes at lunch, and (with the garden hose) waters down the imaginary whale in his wading pool. 'You'd think he'd need to use the potty! But he says he doesn't!' Except, finally, he does. Parents and young children will be familiar with the dramatic race to the restroom, after which 'the potty wins!' But dry pants are, of course, a victory for everyone. CHRISTINE M. HEPPERMANN (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Another high-volume trail of victories for the red, toothy, roaring two-or-so-year-old introduced in Dinosaur vs. Bedtime (2008). Stoutly denying any need to use the potty, Dinosaur "conquers" a pitcher of lemonade, a lawn sprinkler, a pool toy, puddles and even a three-juice-box lunch in succession, each time exclaiming, "Dinosaur wins! And doesn't need to use the potty!"but when that victory dance suddenly turns into a "potty dance," can he hold it long enough to reach the toilet? Children who have felt the pressure themselves won't be able to turn the pages fast enough to see if he makes it...and he does, as the final (discreetly posed) scene and Dinosaur's blissfuland still spike-toothedsmile reveal. "Close one, Dinosaur! Real, real close." Largely printed in display type, the text is as punchy and emphatic as the big, simple illustrations. A shoo-in for storytime fave status and an excellent title to supplement the standard, more earnest potty-training fare. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
