Customer Reviews

Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My name is Guillermo A. Galva and I am 8 years old. My English teacher read this book to us in class and I thought it was funny. My favorite part was when she said Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. I recommend this book for myself. I also like these books by Mo Willems: The Pigeon finds a Hot Dog and Don't let the Pigeon drive the bus. I hope you like it.

It would take a human being with the sense of humor of a bowl of moldy tapioca not to find "Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct" one of the funniest picture books of the year. I mean, I resisted reviewing it. Mo Willems needs no introduction any longer. His misleadingly simple style is what it is, as it is, as it shall be evermore. Basically, he does not need my help promoting his books. That doesn't mean, though, that it's not fun to do. Now the man in question has tried his hand on the standard large-animal-who's-friends-with-kids genre. You can keep you Cliffords and your Dannys with their dinosaurs, though. Color me an Edwina fan through and through (and that goes double for her chocolate chip cookies).

If you live in town then you know Edwina. She's just your friendly neighborhood dinosaur. If she's not changing the lightbulbs on the streetlights then she's baking cookies for the populace at large. Edwina, let it be known, is a peach and everybody loves her. Well... almost everybody. There is a little fellow by the name of Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie that is seriously upset by Edwina's mere existence. Reginald is a smart fellow and if there's one thing he knows in this world, it's that dinosaurs are "totally extinct!" But no one listens to Reginald. In spite of his school reports, flyleaf explanations, protests, one-man-shows, etc. nobody is willing to listen to his dead dinosaur schtick. No one, that is, except Edwina herself. But when Reginald truly manages to convince Edwina of her extinct status, the results are not what he might have expected.

Let's talk Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. As names go, this guy's one hip cat. I recommend reading the book with an exaggerated hoity-toity voice when saying Reggie's name more than once. Here's the tricky thing, though. Edwina's a peach without becoming... um... well, without becoming Barney (to be blunt). She's sweet but she's got her own personality as well. When Reginald convinces her beyond a shadow of a doubt that in spite of her pearls and sensible handbag she is, in fact, extinct, there's a look in the dino's eyes usually reserved for dead men walking. I mean, you could knock her over with a feather in that pic. But does that bother our gal too too much? Nossir! Off she goes, bounding merrily through a brick wall with Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie (gosh, that's fun to write) bounding merrily behind her as well.

I liked Reginald's objection to Edwina. He's a logical fellow and while Edwina might be a very nice person she goes against the natural order of things. Reginald is basically the child-friendly version of that guy in the Monty Python skits who'd bring everything to a halt if he felt things were getting a tad too "silly". The simple fact that nobody listens to him where Edwina is concerned drives young Mr. Von Hoobie-Doobie up a wall. So when Edwina herself proves to be the only person patient enough to put up with this kid with a chip on his shoulder, her basic act of kindness kind of turns the tables on things. Mo Willems can write a fun picture book with an odd but very present moral and not turn the whole enterprise into sticky knee-deep treacle. And that is a skill that doggone deserves its own award. Add in the little details that give the book its pizzazz (such as the child drawings of Edwina hanging outside Reginald's classroom) and you've got yourself a keeper of a story.

Oh we know that a book is as clean cut as this is doomed to a lifetime of people scratching their heads over whether or not it deserves any awards because it seems "simple". What we should all remember is that "simple" is not the same thing as "easy". This is a complex little critter wrapped inside misleading straightforward packaging. Oh. And it's fun. I should probably mention that, shouldn't I? Yes, it's kid-friendly, everyone who reads it will enjoy it, and it has a wacked out all-ages sensibility to it. And it's fun. So go out and buy it, even if you promised yourself earlier in the year that you wouldn't buy anymore Mo Willems books since you seem to own them ALL. Go on. It'll do you some good. It's fun, frolicsome, and it has a dinosaur in it. What more could any human being possibly want anyway?

Everybody in town loves Edwina, the dinosaur. And why wouldn't they? She's helpful and charming and winsome and makes great chocolate chip cookies. But smarty-pants Reginald von Hoobie-Doobie is very irritated that nobody -- least of all Edwina herself -- realizes that dinosaurs are extinct. And so he sets out to disprove Edwina's existence. While this book isn't as silly as the Pigeon series or Knuffle Bunny, "Edwina" is a solid read-aloud that will be enjoyed by children ages 4-6. And adults will appreciate the subtle humor in Willem's illustrations.

This book is lots of fun. Although we all know that dinosaurs are, in fact, extinct, this book presents us with a funny dinosaur who totes a Kelly bag, pearls, and has polished nails. She also bakes! I doubt this book was meant to be taken seriously, so it's great for the lighthearted among us.

My name is Sebastian and I am 7 years old. My English teacher read this book to us in class and I thought it was o.k. My favorite part was when they say Reginald Von-Hoobie-Doobie's name. I recommend this book for my friends. I also like these books by Mo Willems: The Pigeon Has Feelings Too and Leonardo the Terrible Monster. I hope you will like it.

My name is Mara Diaz and i am 8 years old. My English teacher read this book to us in clas and I thought it was awesome. My favorite part was when Edwina didn't care that she was extinct. I recommend this book for 3 to 10 years old I also like this book by Dr.Seuss: Green eggs and Ham. I hope you like this book.

My name is Teysha Martell and I am 7 years old. My English teacher read this book to us in class
and I thought it was funny. My favorite part was when she didn't care that she was extinct. I recommend this book
to kids 4 and 5. I also like this book by David Shannon Duck on a Bike .I hope you like this book.

My daughter and I love this book. She has taken it to school to share with her friends. It's simple and sweet, not too complicated. It's amazing that in such a succinct way Mo Willems has presented a parable that touches on several deep topics: it introduces the idea of dinosaurs and extinction in a humorous and off-handed way, touches on the truism that most people just want to be taken seriously AND that in the end it doesn't matter what others think that should make you happy. The simple presentation of the book is remarkable considering the multiple avenues opened up for discussion when you read this book with your child.

At first I thought this book would be far too simplistic, but after a few pages I realized the sweet-simplicity that it holds. The illustrations are simple but expressive, perfectly complimentary to the words, which are just as simple but just as expressive.
People could take a lot of things from this book (as it appears they have from various discussions I've read). On the surface, it's about a boy trying to convince people that Edwina the Dinosaur doesn't exist - even though she plays with the kids, bakes cookies, and is very helpful. So, the story could be about a spoiled, know-it-all child who can't take being wrong. OR, it could be about a child dealing with not-being-the-center-of-attention anymore, and once someone listens to him, he feels better, even if he was wrong. OR, it might have to do with believing what's before your eyes, vs. proof, vs. what you want to believe. OR, maybe it's all of these things, or possibly it's none of them and just a story about a dinosaur who bakes cookies and is super nice.
BUT, any which way you slice it Edwina is a great character, as is Reginald, and I think there's lots there for kids to enjoy.

I've read this book to my daughter several times and its a delightful story. I loved the fact, that it teaches children about friendship and accepance of others. I don't agree with a previous poster that it leads children to a lifetime of ignoring facts. Lighten up!! Its about creativity, and keeping a child's mind open. They have their whole adult life to have a biased opinion about everything. I highly recommend Mo Willems and all of his books!