Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast: Dinosaur Poems [Hardcover]

Jack Prelutsky (Author), Arnold Lobel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1988

A collection of humorous poems about dinosaurs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fourteen gangly dinosaurs parade through this cheerful new book of light verse. In the final work of Lobel's distinguished career, his winning drawings are accurate without being frightening, and Prelutsky's verse ( Ride a Purple Pelican and The New Kid on the Block ) is rhythmical and funny. Scientific information is filtered through the clever stanzas, and each drawing is accompanied by a pronunciation guide. Most poems contain references to the habits of the creatures described; e.g., "Stegosaurus was a creature uncontentious and benign,/ and the row of armored plates upon its back/ failed to guard its tender belly or protect its flimsy spine." But humor abounds: "How fortunate then," Prelutsky says of the deinonychus who stuffed monsters "inside of its belly," that the creature is "no longer here/ to eat us like cream cheese and jelly." A combination of insight and funny business, further jollied by the illustrations, makes this book irresistible. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5 A dinosaur book collaboration between Arnold Lobel and Jack Prelutsky sounds almost too good to be true. And that's the case with this book, which has good intentions but doesn't quite carry through with them. No problem with Lobel's illustrations, which combine just the right amount of fantasy and realism to capture a child's imagination. It's Prelutsky's verse which is the detractor here. True, some of the poems are rollicking and fun, such as these lines describing Deinonychus: ``Ferocity was its predominant trait,/ its habits were purely predacious,/ it ate what it caught, and it caught what it ate/ in the days of the early Cretaceous.'' But for many of these poems, much of the verse seems confined by the subject matter, as if Prelutsky were afraid to let his imagination enhance what he considers factual information. Sadly, some of the information he reiterates about dinosaurs is out of date; the idea of small-brained, prehistoric plodders doomed for extinction is no more. Prelutsky would do well to get hold of a copy of Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies (Morrow, 1986) and update his perception of herbivores and Sauropods, in particular. Thoughtful pronunciation guides help readers tackle colossal dinosaur names, but young readers will still struggle with the many other multisyllabic words that set the cadence of these rhymes. Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (August 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688064426
• ISBN-13: 978-0688064426
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,473,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Prelutsky has filled more than fifty books of verse with his inventive wordplay, including the national bestsellers The Wizard, Scranimals, and The New Kid on the Block. He is also the author of Be Glad Your Nose is on your Face, a collection of his most celebrated verses. He was named the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Jack Prelutsky lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prelutsky is wonderful for kids and adults., February 13, 2000

By 

Lisa Moser - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast (Paperback)

Several years after reading this book, I can still recall by heart many of Prelutsky's clever rhymes and catchy rhythms. The amazing thing is: so can my kids! The favorite dinosaurs such as T-Rex are given their poetic due, but so are lesser known dinosaurs such as leptoterigius and quetzelcoatlus. (sp?) Although I love all of Prelutsky's whimsical poetry, I felt this book was better suited for young listeners than such works as "It's Snowing! It's Snowing". (Perhaps because the subject matter is more familiar to the pre-school set) Some parents may not like the occasional graphic imagery, but lets face it: carniverous dinosaurs were not dainty eaters! The poetry is too lyrical to be truly gruesome, and besides, all kids like to be grossed out a little bit. If your child is at all into dinosaurs, this may be a good addition to your home library.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good way of teaching youngsters about dinosaurs., September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast (Paperback)

I read this book for the simple reason of having an interest in dinosaurs. I had never seen dinosaur poetry before and was quite amazed at how the author wrote at a child's level to know more about dinosaurs. I think that if a child has interest in dinosaurs, this book is a fun way to go about learning. It not only teaches them about dinosaurs and the way they lived, what they ate, etc., but also about poetry at the same time. This was a dinoriffic book! I recommend it to everyone with an interest in dinosaurs. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book for young children who love dinosaurs, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast (Paperback)

My son, now 12, used to love this book when he was 3 and 4 years old. It was also a lot of fun to read for me!