Dee is mindful of diversity throughout this zippy tale—both with her characters and in the sports they love—as the dinosaurs dabble in a brilliantly colorful array of physical activity. Rather than just sticking to the basics, Dee styles them in lesser known but just as robust athletics, like one group’s fun foray into yoga (“Downward dog it. Cat and cow it. Namaste, bend and bow it”) or the humorous renderings of dinosaurs navigating the high seas on paddle wakeboards and kayaks, each sporting a safety vest, of course. Keeping step with Dee’s eclectic choices, David Lock’s lively illustrations showcase dinos of all abilities—including several in wheelchairs—reveling in the joy that comes from a good workout.
The storyline is simple but powerful, and the graphics add a heap of playfulness to the mix: younger readers will delight in Lock’s tiny details, like one dinosaur’s underwater floaties and goggles, or the baseball team’s “dino sox” uniforms. Adult readers will love the selection of ways to stay fit, and Dee offers activities for any season or terrain, but the true moral of the story is to just keep moving—or, in Dee’s inspiring words,” Go on, have fun, and just do it!”
Takeaway: Riotous and encouraging celebration of physical activity.
Comparable Titles: Aly Raisman’s From My Head to My Toes, Rekha S. Rajan’s Can You Dance Like a Peacock?.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
