"There's a new kid in town, he's changing the world. Teaching love and respect to young boys and girls. He's Herbie Vore the Dinosaur! Read his book and learn even more!"
A whimsically illustrated rhyming picture book about the signficance of birthdays, good friends, and a grandmother's love.
Most kids wish they could enjoy their birthdays more than once. "Herbie's Happy Birthday!" highlights the reason we celebrate our birthdays just one time each year. Parents will embrace this fresh bedtime classic, perfect for a baby shower or children's birthday gift. Fans of the "Llama Llama" series will be fans of the "Herbie Vore the Dinosaur" series of books. Emerging readers will love the simple words and fall in love with the diverse animal characters. Librarians and teachers will enjoy reading this rhyming story to their students time and time again.
"A simple tale that helps set birthday expectations for young dino lovers."
A dinosaur celebrates his birthday with friends, games, and cake in this debut rhyming picture book.
It’s a big day for little Herbie Vore: It’s his birthday. The green dinosaur lives with his parents, who greet him on his special day with pancakes. A refrain through the tale goes “Happy Birthday, Hooray! / Today is Herbie’s special day.” After breakfast, Herbie dresses up in a vest, bow tie, and polka-dotted hat to greet his guests. When Herbie’s friends arrive, they play games, break a piñata, enjoy treats, sing “Happy Birthday,” and have cake. A group photograph and presents follow.
That night, Herbie wonders why birthdays are only annual, and his mother explains that “if birthdays came ’round more than one time a year, / your special day would lose its good cheer.” While many kids will be familiar with birthday celebration rituals, this series opener provides the valuable reminder that bedtime means the end of a special day, and birthdays happen just once a year. Phillips and Jackson’s rhyming passages can work well, but sometimes scan awkwardly: “ ‘Happy Birthday Herbie!’ they yelled. / He greeted them with excitement. / Pancakes he smelled.” The images by debut illustrator Mills are colorful, cartoonish, and three-dimensional, but static; though the dinos wear clothes, Herbie’s animal friends don’t.
