Following up their bestseller How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, Caldecott Medal winner Jane Yolen and illustrator Mark Teague have penned this instructive lesson on dinosaur health care. Each double-page spread features one enormous dinosaur looking wan and sniffly but mostly cranky, petulant, ornery, sullen, and disagreeable. The human moms and dads are visibly worried and/or frustrated by their sick dinos behaving badly. Witness the nice lady dragging her gigantic Styracosaurus out of the elevator and across the hall to the doctor's office: "What if a dinosaur goes to the doc? Does he drag all his feet till his mom is in shock?" The look on this mom's face will be familiar to anyone who's ever forcibly moved a child, who seems to have suddenly gained a million pounds, from one place to another. And of course, it turns out that dinosaurs don't misbehave when they're sick: "He drinks lots of juice, and he gets lots of rest. He's good at the doctor's, 'cause doctors know best."

The rhymes are somewhat forced, especially toward the end of the book, but Teague's marvelous paintings are bright and expressive throughout. Each dinosaur is cleverly labeled, and these aren't your run-of-the-mill dinos; dinosaur-obsessed little ones will crow over Parasaurolophus, Euoplocephalus, and Tuojiangosaurus. They'll also learn a little something about how to behave when they're sick. --Jennifer Lindsay


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-Eleven under-the-weather young dinosaurs are featured in this amusing health-etiquette book, a companion to Yolen and Teague's How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (Scholastic, 2000). Whimpering, littering with dirty tissues, flinging medicine, and tossing covers are presented as questionable at-home activities. At the doctor's office, dragging one's feet, refusing to open one's mouth, screaming, and hiding are all frowned upon. Drinking lots of juice, resting, using a hankie, and taking medicine are positive behaviors. A simple rhyme with many words that beginning readers will recognize moves the text along. Teague's funny, full-color illustrations are dominated by the creatures and lift the lightly didactic to the highly entertaining as human parents care for their dino charges in children's bedrooms filled with toys, clothes, shoes, books, and a nervous cat, or in a doctor's office. As each ailing creature is introduced, readers will look for the name of that species tucked somewhere within the full-page spread. A great addition for dinosaur fans and a reassuring story for young flu and cold victims.Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 1. Kids aren't the only ones who get sick. The dynamic dinos who first appeared in How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? (2000) aren't feeling well, and it's up to their parents, doctors, and nurses to help them mend. The jaunty text begins by cataloging a litany of things a dinosaur might do when it has the flu: "Does he drop dirty tissues all over the floor? Does he fling all his medicine out of the door?" And what if the dino needs to go to the doc? "Does he drag all his feet till his mom is in shock?" The rhyme is basic but effective as it explains what a dinosaur does to get better. Teague, always tops when it comes to mining humor in art, does a great job here. The oversize dinosaurs, vividly colored and dramatically drawn, fill up the room, dwarfing the helpful adults who are trying to bring aid and comfort. The book also gives a nod to kids fascinated by the creatures: each dinosaur's name is tucked somewhere into the picture. The large paintings and short text make this an excellent choice for story hours, but the book may be most enjoyed one on one, especially by listeners experiencing a few coughs and sniffles of their own. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
What if a dinosaur catches the flu?Does he whimper and whine between each "At-choo"?Does he drop dirty tissues all over the floor?Does he fling his medicine out of the door? Just like kids, little dinosaurs hate being sick. And going to the doctor can be pretty scary. How DO dinosaurs get well soon? They drink lots of juice, and they get lots of rest; they're good at the doctor's, 'cause doctors know best. As in their previous book, Yolen and Teague capture children's fears about being sick and put them to rest with playful read-aloud verse and wonderfully amusing pictures.



Card catalog description
Describes what a young dinosaur should do in order to quickly get over being sick.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Jane Yolen and Mark Teague follow up their blockbuster hit How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? with this hilarious, rhymed read about ancient -- and under-the-weather -- reptiles.

When a dinosaur gets sick, taking care of it might be touch-and-go. If it comes down with the flu, will "he whimper and whine in between each Atchoo" like the book's sour Styracosaurus sitting on the nurse's table? Or maybe he'll "flip off his covers with tooth and with tail" like the nonchalant, bedridden Euoplocephalus. He could also let out a Dilophosaurus-sized dramatic wail or "drag his feet till his mom is in shock," but the truth is, with some TLC from Mom and Dad, little Velociraptors will be happily using hankies and saying gentle good nights before drifting off to sleep.

From pouting Parasaurolophuses to tricky Tropeognathuses, Yolen and Teague prove that laughter is the best medicine. Clever rhymes make this ideal for reading aloud to any recovering little dino, while drily humorous illustrations will keep parents and kids scouring pages for dinosaur names and subtle, knowing expressions. The next time your child is stuck in his or her sickbed, pull out this book and let the giggles go to work! Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Describes what a young dinosaur should do in order to quickly get over being sick.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

What if a dinosaur catches the flu?Does he whimper and whine between each "At-choo"? Does he drop dirty tissues all over the floor?Does he fling his medicine out of the door? Just like kids, little dinosaurs hate being sick. And going to the doctor can be pretty scary. How DO dinosaurs get well soon? They drink lots of juice, and they get lots of rest; they're good at the doctor's, 'cause doctors know best. As in their previous book, Yolen and Teague capture children's fears about being sick and put them to rest with playful read-aloud verse and wonderfully amusing pictures.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

Children are also likely to enjoy it. The lesson may be lost on them, but it's hard to go wrong with dinosaurs. Especially when they are trashing the joint. — Adam Nagourney

Publishers Weekly

Those boisterous, larger-than-life stars of How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? are back, but this time they're a little under the weather. "What if a dinosaur catches the flu?/ Does he whimper and whine in between each Atchoo?" In a series of rollicking rhymes, Yolen explores a number of possible naughty scenarios for the ailing beasties ("Does he hold his mouth closed when he's told, `Open wide'?/ Does he scream?/ Is he mean?/ Does he run off and hide?"), before demonstrating how well-behaved they really are ("He drinks lots of juice,/ and he gets lots of rest./ He's good at the doctor's,/ 'cause doctors know best"). Teague's droll artwork heightens the humor of Yolen's light verse. As in their first collaboration, he wrings every last drop of comedy from the matter-of-fact presentation of humans with dinosaur offspring. Harried-looking parents tote steaming bowls of soup to their exotic progeny, who languish in bed with coloring books and crumpled tissues, their enormous tails draped across bedroom floors littered with absurdly tiny sports shoes, backpacks, hockey jerseys and the like. Endpapers serve up a rogue's gallery of the tongue-tickling cast, including bedridden Tropeognathus, Tuojiangosaurus and Dilophosaurus. For dinosaur fans of all ages, this inspired silliness is just what the doctor ordered. Ages 2-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-In this humorous look at surviving a cold, several sniffling dinosaurs display both negative (hiding from the doctor) and positive (willingly taking medicine) behaviors. Teague sets his colorful creatures solidly in the human world and his amusing artwork makes the message easy to swallow. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews