Tiffany Dino Works Out [Library Binding]

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (Author), Nate Evans (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995 | Age Level: 5 and up

Compelled by her friends to engage in a rigorous exercise program, Tiffany the dinosaur is nevertheless unable to get down to her target six hundred pounds, and when she meets the beautiful thousand-pound Muffy, she learns about self-acceptance.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Sharmat presents the sensitive issue of weight control in an upbeat, positive manner. Tiffany Dino's delicacies include pizza, peanut butter, bread, cookies, milk, bananas, nuts, and grapes. She decides that a diet and exercise regimen are in order when she can barely squeeze herself through her own front door. Then she learns the values of self-esteem and good nutrition, and the lesson that a positive self-image cannot always be measured by a scale. Evans's bold, dynamic illustrations in acrylic and gouache are eye-catching and will hold the attention of a group of children. The pictures have an airbrush quality that has definite audience appeal. The clever concept of an overweight dinosaur adds just the right amount of humor to this delightful and meaningful story.
Kathy Mitchell, Gadsden Co. Public Library, Quincy, FL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. Tiffany Dino can no longer fit through her front door without squeezing, and when she weighs herself, she realizes why: she is "one huge hunk of dinosaur meat," weighing in at 615 pounds. She tries exercising but doesn't enjoy it, and she refuses to take the comfort offered by her remarkably patient chums. Eventually, she realizes that she wants to lose weight and not friends, and she even makes a new friend--one who is perfectly comfortable weighing 1,000 pounds. Evan's bright acrylic and gouache paintings show a Flintstone-type world inhabited entirely by lovable cartoonlike dinosaurs surrounded by objects make of speckly stone. The art is more successful than the story, which, unfortunately, attempts to relay two worthwhile messages that don't mesh well: get enough exercise and don't overeat, and whatever size you are is fine. Susan Dove Lempke

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Juv); 1st edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689803095
• ISBN-13: 978-0689803093
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,337,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat has written every Nate the Great book. Here she collaborates with her husband, Mitchell Sharmat. They live in Tucson, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Author has some comments!, April 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tiffany Dino Works Out (Library Binding)

I hope that TIFFANY DINO WORKS OUT elicits many giggles and laughs from kids...and adults and any dinos still lurking around. I also hope that---where applicable and appropriate---this story will open up discussion on the subject of weight. I was surprised to find that many publishers were reluctant to tackle this topic in a children's book despite numerous compelling statistics showing that almost a third of American children are alarmingly overweight.