Sizzling Summer Fun: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
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Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 06/23/2009
Following in the frozen footsteps of blockbuster hits Ice Age (2002) and Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), the latest installment in this computer-animated series from Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox opens in theaters on July 1, 2009. Presented in digital 3-D, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG) is directed by Carlos Saldanha and stars the same cast of lovable characters.
The focus is on family, as the members of a cobbled-together “herd” of diverse species (with wildly different personalities) cope with changing situations and relationships. Tensions run high as woolly mammoths Manny (voiced by Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) await the birth of their first baby. Saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) has been feeling more like a house kitty than a ferocious hunter and decides to strike out on his own. Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) is worried that the herd is breaking up, so when he stumbles across three eggs, he resolves to create his own family by keeping them and parenting the hatchlings—which turn out to be dinosaurs.
When a fearsome T. rex momma appears on the scene and takes her babies (along with Sid) back through a hole in the ground, the whole gang bands together to rescue their friend. Venturing into a mysterious underground realm, they meet a plucky dino-defying weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), encounter all sorts of terrifying prehistoric creatures, and learn a lesson about sticking together and looking out for one another. Kids can visit the official movie web site to bone up on the characters, play games (including “Tetris Acorn Drop” and “Sid’s Egg Scramble”), watch videos, and more.
Book Tie-ins
HarperCollins has published several Dawn of the Dinosaurs tie-in titles, all with colorful covers showcasing the film’s slick-looking, pseudo-realistic animation. Filled with large, sharply reproduced images, The Movie Storybook provides an action-packed retelling of the plot that will appeal to both the read-aloud crowd and independent readers. The dynamic layout begins and ends with film clips of Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel, pursuing his long-sought-after acorn. Illustrated with similar flair, two staple-bound picture books make good choices for sharing aloud. My Three Dads presents a lighthearted look at the stresses of parenthood as Manny (and honorary fathers-to-be Diego and Sid) try to baby-proof the tundra, while Sid-napped! zooms in on the sloth’s adoption of the eggs and his ensuing adventures. Kids who like visual puzzles will enjoy browsing Made You Look!, a volume that presents almost-identical movie scenes and encourages readers to eagle-eye small differences in the pictures. (PreS-Gr 3)
Two “I Can Read” (level 2) offerings from HarperTrophy focus more on the characters’ relationships than their encounters with danger. All in the Family describes how—despite a few bumps in the road—the animals eventually unite to welcome the baby mammoth with a “big family of friends.” In Momma Mix-Up, Sid and the T. rex mother overcome their philosophical differences (she wants to eat him) and learn to work together as a parenting team. Short sentences, words set against clean white backgrounds, and movie images that tie closely into the text will aid beginning readers. (K-Gr 2)
On the cover of Buck the Amazing Dino Hunter!, the swashbuckling weasel swings from a vine while brandishing a dinosaur-tooth machete. Beginning with the tale of how Buck lost his eye during a battle with a colossal prehistoric beast, this book offers a quick-paced retelling of the entire plot. Brief, cliff-hanger chapters sprinkled with black-and-white movie images encourage newly confident chapter book and reluctant readers to keep the pages turning (Gr 2-4). The Junior Novel grabs movie fans with a cover montage of the characters—as viewed through the open, tooth-filled mouth of a dinosaur. From start to finish, the lively narrative is propelled by humorous dialog and non-stop action. Eight pages of captioned, full-color film photos are included (Gr 2-6).
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Essential Guide, from DK, introduces movie characters and scenarios with handsome spreads that combine film artwork with chatty text and captions. The layout and color choices are appealing as large images of the critters are accompanied by smaller photos and bright-hued background graphics. Featuring quotes and plenty of attitude, the character profiles reflect each individual’s personality, while “Did you Know?” sections present true-life facts about the species. Plot elements and photos from the first two movies are also included, making this a fun browser for fans of the entire series. (K-Gr 6)
Pub Info
ROSE, Layla, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Movie Storybook. HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168981-9.
WILDE, A. J., adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: My Three Dads. HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168975-8.
SANTOS, Ray, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Sid-napped! HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168976-5.
CONGLETON, Nicole, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Made You Look! HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-169244-4.
HARIMANN, Sierra, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: All in the Family. HarperTrophy. June 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168977-2.
_____. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Momma Mix-Up. HarperTrophy. June 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168978-9.
AUERBACH, Annie, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Buck the Amazing Dino Hunter! HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168979-6.
KORMAN, Susan, adapt. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Junior Novel. HarperEntertainment. June 2009. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168980-2.
DAKIN, Glenn. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Essential Guide. DK. June 2009. Tr. $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7566-5165-7.
