Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners

by Judy Sierra, Tim Bowers (Illustrator)

Overview

A little girl is shopping in a grocery store when—surprise!—she meets a dinosaur. Don't worry. The dinosaur is very friendly. She's polite, too. In this funny story, told in lilting read-aloud rhyme, the girl has numerous opportunities to be helpful to the clumsy shopping dino and demonstrate when to say "thank you," "excuse me," "I'm sorry," "You're welcome," and other niceties of life. Tim Bowers's whimsical illustrations bring an extra dimension of fun to Judy Sierra's hilarious picture book fantasy. Altogether, Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur is an entertaining and painless way to show preschoolers why basic manners are a good thing to have.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101932506
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,093,976
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

JUDY SIERRA is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Wild About Books and its sequel, ZooZical, both illustrated by Marc Brown. Her expertise at creating funny stories told in read-aloud rhyme that trips off the tongue has won her high praise and honors.

TIM BOWERS is the illustrator of Princess Pig by Eileen Spinelli, The Bravest of the Brave by Shutta Crum, and other acclaimed picture books. He had his own greeting card line, Shoebox Greetings, before devoting himself full time to children's books. He lives in Granville, Ohio, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Sierra and Bowers team up for a slightly different take on the dinosaurs plus manners theme that has been well covered by the How Do Dinosaurs... series. There’s no bad behavior on display in this outing: when a small girl meets a T-Rex who’s shopping at the grocery store, the girl models the polite way to interact with others, even in unexpected circumstances. “Your shopping cart begins to spin./ It dings the dino on the shin./ She roars a terrifying roar./ What do you tell the dinosaur?” The correct responses to this and other scenarios appear in large speech bubbles. There’s lots of physical comedy on display in Bowers’s acrylic paintings—the dinosaur drives away in a tiny pink car better suited for Barbie—which, along with Sierra’s characteristically sturdy verse, helps the gentle message about manners go down smoothly. Ages 3–6. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-K—This book begins as a little girl meets a dinosaur in a grocery store. The rhyming story presents a situation that she finds herself in, such as when the oversize creature knocks over a bunch of apples in the produce aisle. The text then asks, "If you pick them up, what will she say?" The dinosaur responds with a resounding, "Thank you." Each response to the question is displayed in a speech bubble, adding to the already vibrant illustrations. Basic words and phrases are presented, such as: "Please," Thank you," "No thank you," "I'm sorry," "You're welcome," and "Excuse me." Bowers's acrylic paintings are bright and filled with humor. For example, the adults all seem to be mystified that there is a dinosaur in the store while the little girl is perfectly accepting of this friendly looking dinosaur with pink cat's-eye glasses and a tiny purse and basket. The fun rhymes and humorous, full-color illustrations make the story a sure bet for multiple readings and discussions of manners—-Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

Courtesy goes a long way, even with a T. Rex. In a grocery store with understandably stunned-looking, wide-eyed shoppers looking on, Bowers sets up a series of encounters between a small girl with pigtails and a very large (and clumsy) green dino sporting pink-sequined glasses. Sierra provides rhymed prompts: "Commotion in the produce aisle! / The dinosaur upsets a pile / Of apples, and they roll away. / If you pick them up, what will she say?" Correct responses ("Thank you") in large, bold type follow. Though some of the exchanges are problematic, as the child seems to be in the store alone--in one meeting, the dino offers her some snack food and in the checkout line gives her money when she runs short--the situations all engender a set of polite phrases from "Hello, I'm pleased to meet you" to "Excuse me," "No, thank you" and the ever-useful "I'm sorry" that will come in handy in any setting. Take socialization skills to the next step with Sesyle Joslin's timeless, Sendak-illustrated What Do You Say, Dear? (1958, 1986) and What Do You Do, Dear? (1961, 1993). Shall we encourage offspring to be more polite? Yes, thank you. Perhaps they will stay that way. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews