Dinosaur Pet [Hardcover]

Neil Sedaka (Author), Marc Sedaka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Lexile Measure: 590L (What's this?)

Some kids have puppies. Other children have cats. But in this entertaining new picture book and CD by multi-Grammy winner Neil Sedaka, his son Marc Sedaka, and New York Times best-selling illustrator Tim Bowers, a little boy cherishes something even bigger and better, his own pet dinosaur.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this follow-up to Neil Sedaka's Waking Up Is Hard to Do, Sedaka fils reimagines his father's 1961 hit "Calendar Girl" as the story of a boy who hatches a dinosaur egg in his bedroom in January and revels in the ups and downs of the creature's companionship for the rest of the year: "March, at least eight times a day he's go to be fed./ April, when he sleeps with me he crushes the bed." There are rumblings that this relationship can't go on forever ("August, the cost of groceries is bleeding us dry") but the duo shows no signs of breaking up (à  à ¡ la Danny and the Dinosaur). Bowers (Dream Big, Little Pig!) works in lusciously hued, brushstroke-textured spreads, and his comedy is nicely underplayed--Dinosaur Pet is a well-meaning, eager-eyed behemoth who's game for vigorous tooth brushing and wearing a King Kong mask at Halloween, and who tries his best not to smash up the house with his enormous tail. The text isn't much without the accompanying music CD, which has an infectious piano shuffle and Neil Sedaka sounding as boyish as ever. --Publishers Weekly In this follow-up to Neil Sedaka's Waking Up Is Hard to Do, Sedaka fils reimagines his father's 1961 hit "Calendar Girl" as the story of a boy who hatches a dinosaur egg in his bedroom in January and revels --Publishers Weekly --Publishers Weekly

In this follow-up to Neil Sedaka's Waking Up Is Hard to Do, Sedaka fils reimagines his father's 1961 hit "Calendar Girl" as the story of a boy who hatches a dinosaur egg in his bedroom in January and revels in the ups and downs of the creature's companionship for the rest of the year: "March, at least eight times a day he's go to be fed./ April, when he sleeps with me he crushes the bed." There are rumblings that this relationship can't go on forever ("August, the cost of groceries is bleeding us dry") but the duo shows no signs of breaking up (á la Danny and the Dinosaur). Bowers (Dream Big, Little Pig!) works in lusciously hued, brushstroke-textured spreads, and his comedy is nicely underplayed--Dinosaur Pet is a well-meaning, eager-eyed behemoth who's game for vigorous tooth brushing and wearing a King Kong mask at Halloween, and who tries his best not to smash up the house with his enormous tail. The text isn't much without the accompanying music CD, which has an infectious piano shuffle and Neil Sedaka sounding as boyish as ever. --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

The history of rock n roll would be incomplete without the innumerable contributions of Neil Sedaka. Sedaka began studying music at the age of nine, and later catapulted to stardom with hits such as "Oh Carol," "Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," and especially "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." His songs "Bad Blood" and "Laughter in the Rain" both reached #1 on the music charts. He has written over a thousand songs, received a Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Love Will Keep Us Together," has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In his fifty plus year career, Sedaka has sold over sixty million records. But he does not rest on these laurels: he continues to write, record, and perform worldwide. Sedaka has been married for forty-seven years to his wife, Leba, and they have two children and three grandchildren. Marc Sedaka is a successful comedy writer for both film and TV. His credits include New Line Cinema's Overnight Delivery starring Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, CBS's King of Queens, and NBC's Inside Schwartz. The proud father of three young children, Marc spends most of his time playing with dolls, building puzzles, and, of course, introducing a whole new generation of music lovers to his father s wonderful songs. Tim Bowers has illustrated over thirty books, including the New York Times bestseller Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi. Although Tim grew up around unusual pets, including his grandparents squirrel monkey and a singing African Grey Parrot, he never had a pet dinosaur, but he definitely wanted one.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 28 pages
• Publisher: Imagine Publishing; 1st edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936140365
• ISBN-13: 978-1936140367
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So Cute May 7, 2012

By Nanag

Format:Hardcover

This is so cute and something for the younger set. Neil Sedaka recorded the CD with his 3 grandchildren who sing along with him on the CD, his son wrote the story. I saw Neil and his grandkids perform it on the Huckabee Show. I highly recommend it if you have young children, grandkids, etc. Regretfully, my grandchild is too grown for it. I do recommend it. It's cute, educational. Worth the purchase.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!! May 9, 2012

By Eddie's Mom

Format:Hardcover

My dad just bought this for my 2 month old and although he's too young right now, I can't wait to read/sing it to him - it's too adorable!! Neil Sedaka's grandkids singing along make it that much cuter!! The song and book are great - highly recommended!! I am going to buy this for everyone I know with young kids!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I lub my lub my Dinosaur pet! May 16, 2012

By Tony Owens

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Beautiful kids book! My grandson doesn't quite know the importance of the "Calendar Girl" tune but it's a fun read. Its the first book I've ever sang to him... :-)