Cookiesaurus Rex

January 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Cookiesaurus Rex, the self-proclaimed King of All Cookies, has a great attitude until it's not all about him. Life is good being the first sugar cookie to be frosted. "Oh, I like the green. Grrreen is grrreat!" But when the horse cookie gets colorful sprinkles and the dog gets shiny stars, it just becomes too much to bear. "Wait one stinkin, ' stompin' minute! Why do they get all the good stuff? I'm Cookiesaurus Rex, and all I have is gloppy green frosting and this STUPID hat! Do over! I want a do over!" Fun, colorful illustrations work well with the text. The dinosaur does get more accessories, but it's not the glamour he craves. First he gets a ballerina tutu, followed by a baby bonnet and diaper. The lighthearted text will appeal to children as will the theme. Readers will be cheering him on and laughing as the giant human hand follows with frosting. Dinosaur tries running away, then takes matters into his own hands by decorating himself as a superhero. A few more decoration changes follow before the dinosaur becomes the decked-out King of All Cookies. But eventually his fate is sealed when his decorations are licked off. VERDICT The combination of lively text and fun illustrations make this a solid choice for a storytime as well as an upbeat addition to most collections. Who doesn't like a picture book with a friendly dinosaur?-Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2017
A dinosaur-shaped cookie takes matters--and frosting--into his own doughy hands. The dino comes out of the oven full of himself, claiming to be "Cookiesaurus Rex, the King of All Cookies." While he likes the green frosting the hand of his white baker squirts on him, he becomes disgruntled at the sight of the other cookies' decorations, which include sprinkles, shiny stars, and gumdrops. He demands a "do over." But the baker isn't too fond of Rex's imperiousness, issuing commands with nary a "please." The hand uses bright pink frosting to turn Rex into a ballerina. The dino scrapes it off with a spatula, but the tantrum prompts the hand to turn him into a diapered baby, complete with a chocolate-chip trail of poop. That's it! Let the battle begin! Rex is a superhero, a duck ("Ha-ha. I'm quacking up"), a ninja, a clown. But when Rex fashions himself into a king to beat all Mardi Gras kings, readers see a bit more of the creator than just a hand. The other cookies can't help but smirk: "He took a licking." Ford's bright and funny illustrations perfectly complement Dominy and Evans' tongue-in-cheek text. The cheeky dino is full of personality and spunk, and his facial expressions are priceless, inevitably recalling Daffy's in the classic cartoon "Duck Amuck." Have cookie dough and frosting ready, as kids are sure to want to try their own hands at decorating after a few laugh-filled rereads. (Picture book. 3-7)

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January 1, 2018
When it sees the sprinkles, stars, and gumdrops adorning other cookies, a fresh-baked dinosaur cookie demands better than "gloppy green frosting and this stupid hat." But many decorating "do overs" don't satisfy the dino, and Cookiesaurus Rex is still complaining at book's end. The silly story is enhanced by lively illustrations, which maintain a close-up cookie's eye view with only glimpses of a human decorator's hand.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)