Three Little Dinosaurs

Three Little Dinosaurs
written and illustrated by Jim Harris
1999
9781565543713

A witty, modern re-telling of the three little pigs; this time with dinosaurs who play video-games, lift weights, and drive tractors.  The text makes literal references to the original source material and winks at the audience; kind of like the humor in the Shrek films.  Lots of inter-textual humor.  The artwork is great and the script is funny in a meta way.  I'm surprised it was written back in '99.  It's very contemporary. 

For older readers; second grade and above. 

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners
by Judy Sierra
illustrated by Tim Bowers
2012
978-0-375-86720-0

Told in rhyming verse, this adorable picturebook teaches lessons in manners using the scenario of meeting a dinosaur at the grocery store.  Important polite phrases are emphasized, like, "Thank You", "You're Welcome", and "I'm pleased to meet you", among others.  The artwork is very enjoyable, as are the rhymes.  Recommended.

RAIN!






Rain!
story by Linda Ashman
pictures by Christian Robinson
2013
978-0-547-73395-1

On a rainy day, two very different people meet in a cafe.  One is a grumpy old curmudgeon. The other is a happy little boy who acts like a frog.  Each feels a particular way about the rainy day, but one character will win over the other and they'll both share the same feelings in the end. This book has adorable pictures by Robinson whose cut paper artwork is pleasant to view. "Rain!" impressively displays a character make a change of heart that is sweet, humorous, and satisfying. 

"Rain!" is full of short quick one or two word sentences.  Otherwise, I would really like to use this for storytime.