Princess Dinosaur FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
This charming original story about a rowdy, rambunctious, and utterly adorable toy dinosaur is guaranteed to capture the hearts of youg readers everywhere. Princess Dinosaur is a lovely shade of green and sports a golds crown and a puffy pink skirt, but her big size and boundless energy sometimes make playtime a little too wild. She wakes from her nap ready to play with her plastic friends from the toy room, Cowboy Gus and Blue Feather, but her enthusiasm and sharp teeth take their toll. "You're too rough", they cry, hurrying away. Even a dress-up tea party with her friend Bettina is an adventure, as Princess Dinosaur -- fetchingly decked out polka-dotted pumps -- guzzles her tea straight from the pot.
Then real trouble arrives, as the rowdy family dog, Spots, barrels into the room. Bravely helping her friends to the safety of the toy box, Princess Dinosaur is captured and buried in a hole in the yard. But she uses her sharp teeth and claws to climb out, attaches herself to Spot's tail, and eventually finds her way home to safety and her friends.
Jill Kastner has created a delight with Princess Dinosaur, using charming watercolors and a detailed narrative to capture the many facets of a spunky toy heroine whose occasionally wild behavior is counterbalanced by her love, loyalty, and kind heart. (Amy Barkat)
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Princess Dinosaur is a born leader. Sometimes she is too much for Cowboy Gus and Blue Feather. But Bettina Esmerelcla Louise loves to play dress-up with her, and all the toys are mesmerized by her storytelling.
Suddenly Spots bounds in and snaps up Princess Dinosaur in his jaws! Down the stairs and out of the house he dashes, with the Princess between his teeth. And then he drops her—in a hole.
What will Princess Dinosaur do? Can she dig her way out? Will she survive the wilds of the outdoors? Can she get back to her friends?
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
With a crown perched on her head and a billowing skirt hiked up to just below her belly button, the neon green title character of Kastner's (Barnyard Big Top) quirky caper cuts quite the droll figure. The antics of this animated toy dino and her toy-chest compatriots lend themselves to some diverting visual scenarios. While playing with cowboy and Indian figurines, she "accidentally takes a bite out of Cowboy Gus's hat. Blue Feather's bow is bent, too"; during a tea party with a doll properly attired in a straw hat, the heroine prefers to tip the teapot into her enormous mouth rather than drink from a teacup. But the fun ends with the arrival of the family dog ("Run for the toy box"). Kastner shows the dino helping everyone else to safety before the canine snatches her in his mouth and buries her outside (only the hem of her red skirt, her feet and tail are visible). In a feminist denouement, the raptor toy digs her own way out ("Luckily, Princess Dinosaur has long, sharp, pointy claws"), grabs onto the pooch's tail and eventually makes it back home again, where the other toy-box inhabitants welcome her. Rendered in watercolor and pen-and-ink, Kastner's illustrations depict the heroine with a range of funny facial expressions and exploit the scenario's comic potential. Ages 5-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Princess Dinosaur loves to play with the other toys but sometimes she can get too rough. Her robust enthusiasm delights Bettina Esmerelda Louise and together they decide to play dress-up. Sipping on a cup of tea and turning cartwheels gears Princess Dinosaur up to read the others a story. Just as she gathers everyone around, in bounces Spot. Heading straight for Princess Dinosaur, he snaps her up in his jaws and heads out the door. Dropping her in a hole, he takes off for another adventure. Now Princess Dinosaur must use all her wit and determination to make it back to her friends, but the wilds of the outdoors may prove to be too much for the toy dinosaur. 2001, Greenwillow Books, $15.95. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer:Sharon Tolle
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-Princess Dinosaur, a toothy, potbellied, green-skinned figure in a billowing red skirt, is the leader of the toys. She ambushes the plastic cowboys and Indians, sips tea with a doll, runs the wooden train, and reads a story to the smaller toys. Then a vicious-looking Dalmatian (a real one) with a spiked collar leaps into the room, seizes the princess, and buries her in the backyard. Luckily she digs herself out and hangs on to the dog's tail as he chases a squirrel; when he hears his dinner being opened, Princess Dinosaur slips back upstairs to safety while he is eating. The influence of Disney's Toy Story films is pervasive. The big, splashy, bright double-page spreads in pen and ink and watercolor are fun-filled and lively. An action-packed fantasy adventure.-Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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