A Little Bit of Dinosaur

February 1, 2021

Gr 2-5-This title provides an overview of the fossilization and breakdown of dinosaur bones and how calcium from a dinosaur can appear in modern items and present-day human anatomy, such as a child's jawbone. The text begins with prehistoric times, and then ultimately follows a mother who visits the grocery store and buys cheese that contains calcium that used to be in a dinosaur. This picture book uses an engaging scientific concept to present a goofy yet understandable narrative for younger readers. Each spread features bright, comical cartoon artwork and clear lettering in either black or white. While the information is told as factual, the illustrations take on a fantastical element, such as a child with actual dinosaur parts and a cow riding farm equipment. The text ends rather abruptly, leaving readers with questions about where calcium from their bodies will end up in the long run. The child and mother are drawn with light skin tones. VERDICT A fun purchase for inquisitive elementary students and for nonfiction collections where dinosaurs and science, in general, are popular.-Molly Dettmann, Norman North H.S., OK

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2020
An atom of calcium makes the journey from dinosaur bone to child's body in this entertaining tale about the conservation of mass. When the narrator announces to a brown-haired, blue-eyed child: "You have a little bit of Tyrannosaurus rex in your jawbone," the child looks astonished. It is, the narrator explains, the child's mother's fault. But how did the bit of dinosaur get there? The narrator guides the child--and the reader--through the saga of a dinosaur's living, dying, and being buried long ago. As rain erodes both the rock burying the dinosaur and a little bit of the dinosaur's toe bone, calcium from the bones washes into the river. From there, the water irrigates a corn field, the corn is fed to a cow, and the cow makes milk, which becomes cheese, which the child's mother purchases for lunch. The calcium becomes part of the child's bones--and will one day again return to the cycle to perhaps become calcium in the spine of a blue whale. Hutcheson and Pattison introduce difficult science concepts in simple, accessible language. Although death is a part of this cycle, it's handled in a scientific and not scary way. Joven's comical, retro, and ingenious illustrations--featuring bright colors as well as a cow that rides inside a tractor and has a milk faucet inside her body--are brimming with kid appeal. A science-centric winner, especially for young dinosaur lovers.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)