Don't Forget Dexter! (Dexter T. Rexter #1)

Oh no! Dexter the stuffed dinosaur has inadvertently been left behind at the doctor's office by his "best friend," Jack. Dexter may be a tiny toy in a very big waiting room, but he's not panicking just yet. After all, he isn't alone--Dexter is more than happy to allay his anxieties by breaking the fourth wall and chatting up readers: "Wait, what did you say? You think dinosaurs are awesome? Even better than trucks? Really? Me too." But Dexter soon runs out of ideas and courage; after an escape attempt lands him in the waiting room's aquarium, he becomes certain that Jack is "really never ever ever ever coming back." (One page later, though, a tearful and mortified Jack bursts into the room.) Ward (Brobarians) is as funny as ever as she chronicles her orange hero's nervous, no-filter state of mind, and her cut-paper, pencil, and ink drawings--with their visual asides, annotations, and shifts in scale--are irrepressible. It's high anxiety made highly adorable. Ages 3-7. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 1—Ah, the plight of the well-loved but forgotten toy. For parents, the accidentally forgotten favorite toy brings on a feeling of near terror as well as hysterics from their child. The toy owners experience extreme distress and tears. But what about the forgotten toy? In this story, a cuddly looking T-Rex (Dexter T. Rexter) that has been left behind in the waiting room of a doctor's office speaks directly to readers about his longing for his best friend, a young black boy named Jack. Children are pulled into Dexter's story, from the emotional high when he recites the rhyming battle cry Jack created especially for him, "Dexter Dino, /Stomp through/the swamp./Dexter Dino, /Chomp, Chomp, /Chomp!" to the low when he thinks that he might have been left behind on purpose because he is not as cool as a motorized car or truck. The dino's escape attempts are numerous and amusing, and his eventual reunion with Jack is sweet. The childlike illustrations are primarily orange and yellow and perfectly convey Dexter's ever-changing moods. VERDICT Sure to be loved by young children who value toys over their parent's cell phones.—Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, CA