ABC T-Rex
By Karyn Wellhousen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Hungry T-Rex takes readers through the alphabet.
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What's the Story?
Munch, munch, munch! This nonscientific tale depicts a tyrannosaurus eating a multitude of objects, including each letter of the alphabet. This clever theme for an ABC book will delight beginning readers as they identify the many objects on each page whose names begin with the featured letter.
A tyrannosaurus takes the reader through the alphabet, munching on letters with every turn of the page. The comical dinosaur appears among myriad alliterative objects (some obvious, some obscure). A list is provided at the end of the book to help readers locate the less identifiable items.
Is It Any Good?
ABC books exist to present and emphasize the letters of the alphabet, and authors typically sacrifice a cohesive story line to achieve this goal; this is true for ABC T-Rex. But at least there's a uniting theme that helps fuse the actions of the character together. Many boldly colored objects whose names begin with the featured letter are drawn on each page, and the illustrator has gone to great lengths to tie the objects together in some logical fashion. For example, the letter K depicts the tyrannosaurus in a kitchen wearing a kangaroo-print shirt holding a shish kebab with its tail while pouring ketchup. In the background is a kitten eating kibble, and a kettle on the kitchen stove.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the author used the alphabet as a literary device to help structure the story. What was your favorite illustration? What did you like about it? Parents and kids can also have fun looking up facts about the infamous T-Rex and comparing the cute, cartoon version to the real thing.
Book Details
- Author: Bernard Most
- Illustrator: Bernard Most
- Genre: Alphabet
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Harcourt Brace
- Publication date: March 6, 2000
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 7
- Number of pages: 40
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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