Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) [Hardcover]

Dennis Lee (Author), Debbie Tilley (Author), Jack Prelutsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 1997 | Age Level: 3 and up

For the first time, the poetry of Dennis Lee, the Pied Piper of children's verse, has been collected in one rousing volume by the inimitable Jack Prelutsky. From food fantasies to schoolyard chants and monster mayhem, Lee really knows how to tickle kids with words. There are quiet poems, rude and rambunctious poems, and some pure nonsense verses that trip off the tongue, begging to be said over and over again. Others capture the attraction of a muddy puddle or the somnolent rhythm of windshield wipers on a rainy day. There's something for everyone in this wonderful collection of read-aloud or read-alone rhymes and Debbie Tilley's (Riddle-icious) buoyant imaginative watercolors are an open invitation to jump in and join the fun.  

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Canadian poet Dennis Lee's poetry is well loved by children around the world. This collection of 41 poems was selected by anthologist Jack Prelutsky from Lee's four previous books of poetry, including The Ice Cream Store. Children in the early grades will chuckle at poems about dinosaurs and alligators, monsters and mud puddles, bears and bees, and belly buttons. Debbie Tilley's exuberant watercolor illustrations perfectly complement Lee's verse; both have the same bouncy good humor that kids love. Invite a dinosaur to dinner at your house (and don't forget some alligator pie for dessert). (Ages 4 to 7)

From Publishers Weekly

Watchers of TV's Fraggle Rock and Barney already know Lee's (Alligator Pie; Jelly Belly) lively lyrics. This zesty miscellany offers many a silly ode on food, mud, bugs and the author's homeland ("Taller than the CN Tower,/ Bigger than Quebec:/ Don't fool around with/ Torontosaurus Rex!"). From the insults of "Georgie, Georgie,/ Wash your face,/ Or we'll kick you out/ Of the human race" to the squirm-inducing "Pizza, pickle,/ Pumpernickel,/ My little guy/ Shall have a tickle," a good-natured tone predominates. There's a Shel Silverstein-like bounce to the rhythms and unerring meter, but Lee lacks Silverstein's dark edginess; even the monster of "I Eat Kids Yum Yum!" is no match for an equally hungry girl. The choice of illustrator is inspired: Tilley's (Riddle-icious, see p. 77) watercolors of playground antics and dinosaur-like green lizards bring out the poems' mischievousness and bratty verve. Not all of the entries are puckish, however: among the finest poems is the lullaby "Silvery," which ends the collection on a lyrical note ("Silverly/ Silverly,/ Over the/ Trees/ The moon drifts/ By on a/ Runaway/ Breeze"). Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679870091
• ISBN-13: 978-0679870098
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tremendously funny, January 21, 1999

By 

Andrea Atwood ([e-mail]) (White Cloud, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dinosaur Dinner (Paperback)

I read this book to my nephew and we giggled our way through the whole thing. The poems are quite imaginative. Some are long, others short. All very funny. My nephew is only 4, and he enjoyed picking out the things "that really wouldn't happen." He and I both loved it

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nobody does it better, March 19, 2003

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dinosaur Dinner (Paperback)

Dennis Lee is a treasure. My daughter and I devoured Alligator Pie when she was a little girl, chuckling merrily over author Lee's zany humor and vivid imagery. I have subsequently given each new Lee book to the children (and even some of the adults) I know, happy to introduce this outstanding author to those who haven't yet discovered him. Want to make your children/grandchildren/neighborhood kids laugh out loud? Get them anything Dennis Lee has written. He's truly gifted, truly tapped into the mind of the child in all of us.
My highest recommendation.