Book Review: Dot by Patricia Intriago

I've been seeing dots lately.  No, it's not a result of heat exhaustion; though I'd love to see some wet dots falling from the sky sometime soon.  Actually, I've been seeing dots in some lovely, well-rounded picture books.  The dot deluge all began with Dot by Patricia Intriago. The contrasting, simple imagery makes it great for babies, the clever wordplay makes it intriguing for preschoolers, and the minimalist design makes it thrilling for adults.  I especially love the juxtaposition of the hard dot and the soft dot, complete with a child's finger pressing down on the dot to test its flexibility.  Can you hear the loud and quite dots making different sounds?  How would a happy dot look? What about a sad dot?  Take this book home and you'll find out, along with a dab or two of other surprises!

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!

There's bad and then there's BAD. Well-behaved prehistoric pals calmly color, paste, and build, but T-Rex can't seem to get with the program. Blocks topple, scissors fly, and artwork shreds amid Tyrannobully's reign of destruction. Classmates finally band together and ostracize the obstreperous miscreant. No fun! Even little thunder lizards can feel sad and lonely. Bit by bit, step by step, the repentant reptile makes amends and is welcomed back into the fold despite an inadvertent catastrophe. At long last peace prevails in "Dino-topia," or maybe not...

Zachariah Ohora's playful illustrations are boisterously paired with Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen's sparse but cleverly rhymed text in Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! Children finding themselves adrift within the hierarchical confusion of classroom politics will take comfort in seeing that even misbehaving dinosaurs can get a second chance.

MightyM