What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?

Business is so slow at Uncle Otto's used car lot that he declares, "I will sell a car to anyone--or anything--that shows up!" Then dinosaurs descend: improbably hued beasts, sporting multicolored polka dots, who loom over the small, roly-poly humans. "I'm looking for a car," a stegosaurus says. "What do you recommend?" Uncle Otto is flummoxed, but his plucky niece and nephew, Ava and Mickey, are both dinosaur aficionados and intuitive salespersons. "You like the wind and you're a fish eater," Mickey tells a tired pterodactyl before suggesting a convertible so "you can drive to the beach and glide from the cliffs to the ocean." A T. rex almost stumps--and stomps--them ("Can you really see me driving a minivan?" it booms), but Ava and Mickey find the perfect match: a monster truck. The story ends with more of a thud than a bang, but Lee (Twenty Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street) and Biggs (the Frank Einstein series) do succeed in giving families a new road trip game that doesn't involve screens: What Kind of Dinosaur Would Drive That Car? Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

PreS-Gr 1--Uncle Otto sells cars. Disappointed by the lack of customers to his summer sale, he loudly declares that he will sell a car to "anyone—or anything—that shows up!" Then the dinosaurs begin to arrive. Fortunately for Otto, his niece and nephew are dinosaur experts and able to help direct each of the prehistoric customers to a vehicle that suits their needs. The group is nearly stumped by the arrival of a cantankerous T-rex, but eventually the kids help him choose the perfect car. The dialogue between Otto and his customers moves the story along quickly and gives readers opportunities to practice their dinosaur read-aloud voices. Illustrations feature gigantic and colorful dinosaurs squeezing themselves into tiny little cars, often with the sharp bits poking out. The final spread shows a dinosaur so large it can't even fit on the page! VERDICT Silly and raucous, this is a perfect preschool storytime book.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library, RI