Publishers Weekly
08/10/2015
This toys-come-alive story uses the seeming verisimilitude of photography and a passel of ubiquitous plastic dinosaurs to make very funny magic (this book was inspired by the Tumas’ Tumblr, “Dinovember,” and a version for adults was published in 2014). Shot almost entirely in the Tumas’ house, the comic tableaus assert that the toy dinos are running wild by night—well, not “running,” exactly, since they are as immobile as when they emerged from the manufacturer’s mold. But given the right camera angles and clever propping, it becomes remarkably and delightfully easy to project vividly mischievous personalities onto these inanimate critters. Place a squirt bottle of mustard in the hands of one, and a condiment outlaw is born; stick a pigtailed doll wig on another, and it’s a whole new twist on “fierce.” The text can be overly literal (“Your parents probably don’t let you play in the bathroom, but dinosaurs aren’t very good at following the rules”), but it successfully captures the wonder, exasperation, and secret admiration provoked by these terrible lizards’ terrible behavior. Ages 3–6. Agent: Kristyn Keene and Liz Farrell, ICM Partners. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Praise for What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night: A Very Messy Adventure:A Bank Street College Distinguished Children's BookA 2017‑2018 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
* "The Tumas have much to answer for, as this album will join the many like scenes they have posted online as a record of their annual family "Dinovember" celebrations which are already, no surprise at all, spawning fans and similar outbreaks of disorder in other locales. The authors may well have created a monster with this deliciously chaotic notion."—Kirkus, starred review
"Filled with whimsy and imagination, this book will delight children of all ages... Detailed photographs will keep kids turning the pages and parents enjoying the rockling dino antics."—School Library Journal
"...successfully captures the wonder, exasperation, and secret admiration provoked by these terrible lizards’ terrible behavior."—Publishers Weekly
Praise for What the Dinosaurs Did at School:
"The Tumas' neon photographs of toy dinos draped in spaghetti, bouncing on soccer balls and devouring library books are mini‑masterpieces of creativity."—USA Today
"The husband‑and‑wife team of "Dinovember" fame pose their plastic dinosaurs with props and use perspective masterfully to stage their scenes.... Better add plastic dinosaurs to the shopping list‑kids will want in on the fun."—Kirkus Reviews
"Amusing and fun, students who love dinosaurs will devour this book."—School Library Journal
"The compositions are excellent, the props adorable... and the hyperbolic narration sustains a fever pitch."—Publishers Weekly
Praise for What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas:
“A fun-to-read, rhyming book that kids will enjoy…a nice addition to Christmas picture book collections.”—School Library Journal
School Library Journal
09/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Filled with whimsy and imagination, this book will delight children of all ages as a group of rogue dinosaurs seek misadventure, since they "aren't very good at following the rules." Reminiscent of the humor and themes (toys come alive when children go to sleep) from the movie Toy Story, this picture book comes alive with bold action. In an authors' note, the Tumas detail the origins of the work and how they decided to document their children's dinosaur toys as they came to life each night. This book is a collection of photographs inspired from their Dinovember collections on social media. Scenes range from mud-filled messes, art inspired graffiti as "sometimes they go too far" and spray paint each other to images of the dinos playing in the laundry room, where the authors' warn that "dinosaurs are dry clean only." Detailed photographs will keep kids turning the pages and parents enjoying the rockling dino antics. VERDICT Recommended for picture book collections and coffee tables alike.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-06-10
For anyone who doubts that plastic dinosaurs come to life and sneak out at night to make household messes, here's photographic evidence. As caught in the act by a trusty camera with "custom bacon modification to attract hungry dinosaurs," toy dinos head first for the fridge but go on to turn the playroom, parents' room, laundry room, and attic into domestic disaster areas. The scenes are littered with loose food and bric-a-brac, splashed with shaving cream and mustard, covered in tangles of yarn, spritzes of spray paint and, in the climactic living-room tableau, wild smears of dark brown goop that surely can't be what it looks like. It's not malicious mischief, as the accompanying commentary notes, but all in good fun, and eventually the dinos will go back to lying low…though, as a final shot of a busy rooftop launch pad reveals, they'll always be up to something. The Tumas have much to answer for, as this album will join the many like scenes they have posted online as a record of their annual family "Dinovember" celebrations…which are already, no surprise at all, spawning fans and similar outbreaks of disorder in other locales. The authors may well have created a monster with this deliciously chaotic notion. (Picture book. 6-8)
