Dino-Zombies!

Toddler-PreS–While this picture book sounds like a mash-up made in Halloween heaven, it unfortunately misses the mark. A small pack of disemboweled, semi-skeletal, and otherwise undead dinosaurs don their costumes and hit the sidewalks for a night of trick-or-treating. After candy-collecting comes a sudden costume contest and a sugar crash, cueing dino-bedtime. As they curl up in front of the television, the tale ends on a candied rebound for “one last bite.” Popularity of dinosaurs aside, there isn’t much to endear this to its audience. The digitally rendered illustrations are stagnant with unsteady lines and flat color. Curious details (Why do dino-zombies eat fully wrapped candy?) further contaminate the tale. The narrative itself is flimsy at best, and the rhyme scheme feels forced. There are myriad options available for Halloween, dinosaur, and zombie-philes; readers will do well to seek them out.