From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3—The opening spread, filled with smiling dinosaurs and children's faces, sets the tone for this tongue-in-cheek guide: "There is a dino for every kid, and a kid for every dino." The ensuing, satisfyingly large spreads focus on qualities readers may be looking for in a pet and the dinosaurs that best meet those needs. Children in the market for a winged dino will learn that the Pteranodon (pronunciation guide included) will help them catch fly balls at the baseball stadium and has a "long fourth finger perfect for removing unnecessary broccoli from dinner plates." After a tour of five popular varieties, advice is offered on keeping a pet comfortable, clean, and obedient—well, not very obedient. There are recommendations on exercising and traveling with a dino and suggestions about when to take one to school. While the book's approach is best for a kindergarten audience, the snarky, ironic tone is more suited to an older audience. Brown helps the cause with vivid monoprint with gouache artwork—some of his best illustrations to date. His overly enthusiastic, sweet-faced, humongous patterned dinosaurs are—in defiance of natural history—irresistibly delicious.—
Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY END
Review
Review, Booklist: "This starter guide will come in handy, whether kids are in the market for a new fantasy pet or just a fun read-aloud ....Youngsters will quickly become absorbed in this enjoyable mix of facts, fantasy, and fossils."
Review, Kirkus Reviews: "From dino descriptions to basic commands—"STAY (Ha!)"—to exercising your dino and taking it to school, it's a cheery descendant of Bernard Most's classic If the Dinosaurs Came Back (1978)."
Review, School Library Journal: "[Marc] Brown helps the cause with ... some of his best illustrations to date. His overly enthusiastic, sweet-faced, humongous patterned dinosaurs are ... irresistibly delicious."
Review, Palo Alto Weekly: "Kids love dinosaurs. Yet with 16,000 dinosaur books already on the market, is there any need for a new one? Yep, when it's as clever and eye-poppingly colorful as this, by Palo Alto author Laura Rennert, illustrated by Marc Brown ("
Arthur"). All the popular dinosaur species are described according to their attributes as household pets. There are tips on purchasing a dino and traveling with one. And for playing—because as all kids know, 'Dinos are for fun!'"
Review, Austin American-Statesman: "The warm, witty
Buying, Training & Caring for Your Dinosaur apes a training manual for kids who have a new "little" friend as a pet...Illustrator Marc Brown, the creator of the Arthur books that inspired the PBS show of the same name, experimented with a new technique for the book's illustrations—monoprinting, a printmaking style that creates singular images more like paintings. Vibrant color choices keep the mood light, as befits the concept: After all, it's not every dinosaur book that reminds us about pteranodon's long fourth finger, which is 'perfect for removing unnecessary broccoli from dinner plates.'"
