Rich Cohen
Chris Gall has a lot of fun with the primal place of machines in the lives of small children in his brilliant book Dinotrux. In ripe-to-the-point-of-bursting illustrations—there is something of R. Crumb in his pictures; check out the tiny skirts on the cave ladies!—Gall gives us the creation legend of the truck, our modern vehicles being descendants of the combustion-driven monsters that once roamed free.
—The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
Combine dinosaurs and trucks and what do you get? In Gall's (There's Nothing to Do on Mars) case, a passel of grateful readers, especially those of the young male variety. With comically overheated narration and typography (think History Channel meets Ripley's Believe It or Not!), fire-roasted settings and hilariously imagined creatures that suggest the offspring of R. Crumb creations and the Transformers, Gall posits that today's trucks are really the descendants of hulking truck-dinosaur hybrids that "ruled the world" and struck fear into the hearts of cave people. Among the species: the fire truck-like Firesaurus ("SO hot tempered, he snacked on raw lava!") and Rollodon ("he NEVER watches where he's going"), who leaves a trail of flattened reptiles in his wake (to the delight of a caveman who snacks on one, declaring it "Delicious!"). While a "flash of light and a terrible storm" wiped out many of these terrifying creatures, the survivors evolved to become the handy vehicles we all know. And now, thanks to Gall, there are even more reasons to love them. Ages 3-6. (June)
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2
What if the prehistoric ancestors of today's mega-utility trucks and 18-wheelers were really dinosaurs? This zany and riotous ride spoofs the evolutionary roots of contemporary trucks. Gall's posterlike spreads, rendered in strong black line and fiery, bold colors, use every square inch of space to convey the energy and witty detail of a dangerous ancient world in which part truck, part dinosaur creatures ruled. Chomping, digging, honking, and rolling, such fearsome creatures as "Craneosaurus," "Dumploducus," and "Blacktopadon" were huge, hungry, and decidedly unhelpful, scaring every caveman and cavewoman in sight. A million years later, a terrible storm doomed these crossbreed vehicles to a slow, rusty decline, sending a few hardy survivors on their way south in search of better weather and a more cooperative way of life. Modern-day descendants of the ancient "dinotrux" are on the job in many helpful ways-but a visual joke on the last page underscores that those in museum displays might not be so extinct after all. Blending the endless appeal of dinosaurs and trucks in one hilarious volume, this title will be hard to keep on the shelves.-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT
Kirkus Reviews
The tough working trucks in Kate and Jim McMullan's I Stink! (2002) and sequels look like lightweights next to their brawny prehistoric antecedents in Gall's rousing, grimy full-bleed spreads. Crushing rocks and trees, flattening smaller creatures and sending diminutive cave people fleeing in pop-eyed panic, a round dozen metal behemoths roll by, from towering Craneosaurus-"CRACK, MUNCH. / Look out birds, it's time for lunch!"-and the grossly incontinent Blacktopodon to a stampede of heavily armored Semisaurs and the "bully of the jungle," toothy Tyrannosaurus Trux. Why aren't these motorized monsters with us today? They are, though in the wake of a mighty storm that left most mired in the mud to rust, the survivors went South and, as a climactic foldout reveals, evolved into the more beneficent vehicles we know and love. Dinotrux ruled their world, and now they're likely to rule this one too. Bellow on! (Picture book. 5-9)
From the Publisher
Praise for Dinotrux:* "Comically overheated narration... fire-roasted settings and hilariously imagined creatures."—Publisher's Weekly, starred review
* "This title will be hard to keep on the shelves."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "Dinotrux ruled their world, now they're likely to rule this one too. Bellow on!"—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Revenge of the Dinotrux:
* "Gall's dinosaur/machine mash-ups are, once again, the star of the show, commanding attention (and generating laughs) in every action-filled, rust-toned scene."—Publishers Weekly, starred review"
Young fans of all things big and noisy will make trax for this dynamic dino-diversion."—Kirkus Reviews"
Dramatic, full-page illustrations brim with the energy of these fierce machines.... A fun follow-up, appealing to old and new fans alike."—School Library Journal"
Chock full of personality.... This is sure to be a winner with elementary readers."—Library Media Connection
Library Media Connection
"Chock full of personality.... This is sure to be a winner with elementary readers."
