Nice Review & Sneak Preview

detail from "Iguanodon" from DINOTHESAURUS. Image and poem copyright 2009 Douglas Florian
Horn Book is giving DINOTHESAURUS a nice review.
But first another sneak preview, this time Iguanodon, pictured in a detail above.

Iguanodon
ih-GWAH-no-don (iguana tooth)

I wouldn't wanna come upon

The ten-foot-tall Iguanodon.

But if one day Iguanodon

I came upon I'd wanna

Ask that big IguanoDON:

Where is IguanoDONNA?

Now, here's the nice review from Horn Book. It's terribly easy to make mistakes in regards to dinosaurs. There are two in this review: A plesiosaur, not "Plesiorus," was a prehistoric sea reptile, and a pterosaur, not "Pterosaurus," was a prehistoric flying reptile. Also the letter "B" in the word DUMB is printed in reverse in the book, but I imagine that's difficult if not impossible to do in a review. In any event I enjoyed this, especially mention of the word "genius."

Douglas Florian Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings; illus. by the author48 pp. Atheneum 3/09 isbn 978-1-4169-7978-4 $17.99(Intermediate, Middle School)

Beginning by defining “The Age of Dinosaurs” (“The dinosaurs / First lived outdoors / During the time Triassic”) and ending with their demise (“What made the dinosaurs die out? / Why don’t they still parade about?”), Florian rounds up all the usual prehistoric suspects (Brachiosaurus, Iguanodon, Triceratops) and adds a few outliers (the sea reptile Plesiorus, the flying reptile Pterosaurus) and lesser knowns (Minmi, Troodon). The twenty resultant verses are characterized by wordplay, mixed-media illustrations, and a scientific fact or two, emphasizing Florian’s genius for fusing sophisticated language, image, and science in ways both accessible and appealing. On Tyrannosaurus rex: “Its jaws were horrific. / Its profile distinct. / I find it terrific / That it’s T-rex-tinct.” And poor Stegosaurus: “Its brain was smaller than a plum. / Stegosaurus was quite DUMB.” In a link to the titular thesaurus, Florian fills a gray gouache Stegosaurus with a grid of rubberstamped synonyms (daft, dazed, witless, slow, thick, dunce). Seismosaurus, depicted as large enough to contain collages of sailing ships, may have been, as the appended “Glossarysaurus” tells us, the longest dinosaur that ever lived. Also appended is a list of dinosaur museums and fossil sites, a selected bibliography, and suggestions for further reading. b.c.

New York Times Review

Detail of "The Age of Dinosaurs" from DINOTHESAURUS copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian
In today's New York Times Sunday Book Review is a nice review of DINOTHESAURUS. A picture would have been nicer, but the Baryonyx ate the photographer. Above is a detail of the opening poem illustration. Below is the review:

DINOTHESAURUS: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings.Written and illustrated by Douglas Florian.Atheneum. $17.99. (Ages 6 and up)
Florian’s whimsical rhyming text contains helpful lessons: for example, how to pronounce “Micropachycephalosaurus,” for “small, thick-headed lizard,” or “Plesiosaur” — “we always say PLEASE before we might bite.” A bit of dinosaur lore follows: “What kept the Spinosaurus warm / When it was colder than the norm? / Spines much like a solar panel. / (And long underwear of flannel.)” The underwear part might be misleading, but Florian’s art — in gouache, collage, colored pencil, stencils, etc. — is gorgeous and fun.

DINOTHESAURUS-First Review

Illustration Copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian

The first review of DINOTHESAURUS (March 2009 Simon & Schuster) has come in.
From Kirkus Reviews, here it is:

Florian, Douglas
DINOTHESAURUS: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings
Illus. by the author

In the fine tradition of Jack Prelutsky’s Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (1988), a set of dinophile-pleasing verses penned by a poet with a rare knack for wordplay and silly rhymes finds apt visual setting fronting playful images of monsters rearing up from extinction to grin toothily at young viewers. Sandwiched between poems about the Age of Dinosaurs and its sudden end, Florian parades 18 creatures, from Pterosaurs (“They were not ptame. / They were ptenacious— / From the Ptriassic / Pto the Cretaceous.”) to T. Rex, then closes with an informative “Glossarysaurus,” plus museum and source lists. Spectacularly depicted (as is his frequent custom) on paper bags in crayon and collage, the poet’s dinos are easily recognizable despite being freely rendered and, often, semitransparent. Collage elements add to the visual excitement, often to great effect—a skeletal, iPod-sporting T. Rex prepares to chow down on a heap of cut-out dinosaur bits—and always with enormous playfulness. Children fixated on explicit gore may be left unmoved, but to everyone else this will be a dino-delight—especially when read aloud. (Picture book/poetry. 5-10)
Copyright 2009 Kirkus Reviews

Poetry Friday: Starred Review!

Illustration (detail) and poem Copyright 2009 Douglas Florian

Tyrannosaurus rex

Ty-ran-oh-SAW-rus REX (king of tyrant lizards)

Some 40-feet long.
Some 14-feet tall.
Its back limbs were strong.
Its front limbs were small.
Its eyesight was keen.
Its hunger voracious.
This creature was seen
In times called Cretaceous.
Its jaws were horrific.
Its profile distinct.
I find it terrific
That it’s T-rex-tinct.

.

My great editor, Andrea, just told me that Dinothesaurus is getting a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Yay!

*Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Douglas Florian. S&S/Atheneum,$17.99(56p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7978-4

Florian’s free-flowing, witty collection of poems and collages about dinosaurs is a giganotosaurus delight—perhaps his best work ever. The poems marry facts with a poet’s eye for detail: the Brachiosaurus was “longer than a tennis court” and the Ankylosaurus says, “We like spikes and we like scutes/ (Bony plates we wear as suits).” Small experts will appreciate the “Glossarysaurus” at the end, but the heart of the book is in its humor, the spontaneity of both illustrations and poems, and Florian’s slightly askew view of the Mesozoic creatures. A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton spews cutout images of things a T. rex might actually have eaten, along with a tumble of other things (newspaper clippings, a boot, a building), while the text ends with a great pun (“I find it terrific/ That it’s T-rex-tinct.”). The tiny (20-inch) Micropachycephalosaurus stares up at a huge display of his enormous name spelled out phonetically, in illuminated caps and as a rhombus. Art and text will encourage aspiring paleontologists and poets to parse these pages again and again. Ages 6–up. (Mar.)

The Dinosaurs Hatch Tonight!

poem "Barosaurus" and image from DINOTHESAURUS copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian

Tonight at midnight the dinosaurs will hatch for the publication date of DINOTHESAURUS: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. I'd like to thank my editor Andrea, my designers Ann and Michael, and my pet Iguanodon, Ignatz. Pictured above is Barosaurus, seen in a slightly different locale on the book's jacket (boys don't buy pink). While researching this book I read in a usually reliable Dorling Kindersley book that "Barosaurus weighed more than 8 elephants." That fact helped to start my first line: "I weigh more than eight elephants." Nice alliteration there, but unfortunately it's probably not true. As I discovered in the authoritative Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by paleontologist Thomas R. Holtz, Jr, the Barosaurus weighed about as much as two elephants. Not too exciting. I did discover an alternate and accurate first line. Here's the poem:

Barosaurus
BAR-oh-SAW-rus (heavy lizard)

I'm higher than five elephants.
I'm longer than most whales.
My giant neck is balanced by
My forty-three foot tail.
A tail that is my weapon.
It swings from side to side.
From nose to tail I'm ninety feet-
Het kid, ya wanna ride?

If I've promosed you the book it will be coming soon. I received my author's copies a few days ago. I'm available for interviews and the book is available at amazon.com. My iguanodon is not available, and I have to go take him for a walk now.

Pterrifying Pterosaurs

"Pterosaurs" poem and image from DINOTHESAURUS copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian

For Poetry Friday a poem from DINOTHESAURUS. As the Glossarysaurus explains, Pterosaurs were flying prehistoric reptiles (not true dinosaurs) that lived in all three periods of the dinosaurs: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. They flew on wings of skin that stretched from their bodies to the tips of their long wing fingers.

Pterosaurs
TERR-oh-sawrs (winged lizards)

The pterrifying pterosaurs
Flew ptours the ptime of dinosaurs.
With widespread wings and pteeth pto ptear,
They pterrorized the pteeming air.
They were not ptame.
They were ptenacious--
From the Ptriassic
Pto the Cretaceous.

The Poetry Friday roundup today is at Elaine Magliaro's Wild Rose Reader. Check it out!

Poetry Friday/Another Starred Review

Poem "Giganotosaurus" and illustration detail copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian
This just in from my editor: DINOTHESAURUS will receive another starred review, this time in the March 1st edition of Booklist:
* Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings.
Florian, Douglas (Author), Florian, Douglas (Illustrator)
Mar 2009. 56 p. Atheneum, hardcover, $17.99. (9781416979784). 811
Florian, whose previous picture-book poetry collections have covered the animal kingdom, from dogs and cats to lizards and pollywogs, takes a few evolutionary steps back in this exuberant verse roundup of prehistoric creatures. As usual, Florian's blend of irresistible wordplay and collage art will draw children. The gleeful twists of language evident in the title continue throughout each of the selections spotlighting a different species, including the Triceratops (Try-scare-a-tops./ Try-wouldn't-want-to-dare-a-tops"). Even as they are delighting in the lines' silliness, children will absorb solid facts, as in a poem that introduces earth's epochs: "The dinosaurs/First lived outdoors/ During the time Triassic./ While most died out,/ Some came about/ Later in the Jurassic." The selections aren't equally strong, and the appended material-
information about each dinosaur and a bibliography- is printed on textured, colored backgrounds that compete with the text. Still, this is a standout title on a perennially popular subject that has inspired surprisingly few poetry collections for kids.
-Gillian Engberg

And here's another sneak preview:

Giganotosaurus
GIG-ah-not-oh-SAW-rus ( giant southern lizard)
One hundred million years before us
Lived the Giga-not-o-saurus.
Gigantic, titanic, enormous, colossal-
What once was humongous is now just a fossil.
When it was hungry or got into fights,
It opened its jaws and took giga-bites.

4th Starred Review!!!!

Triceratops poem and image copyright 2009 Douglas Florian
My editor, Andrea, has just told me that DINOTHESAURUS will receive its fourth starred review in the May 1st issue of School Library Journal. Yay!!!! Here it is, as well as the Triceratops poem:

* School Library Journal May 1, 2009 issue
DINOTHESAURUS Written and Illustrated by Douglas Florian(Beach Lane Books; ISBN 9781416979784; March 2009; Spring catalog pg. 3)K-Gr 3–Set in spreads of dreamy dinosaur art, these 20 playful paleontologic poems overflow with wit and useful information. “What kept the Spinosaurus warm/When it was colder than the norm?/Spines much like a solar panel./(And long underwear of flannel.)” Sandwiched between two general poems entitled “The Age of Dinosaurs” and “The End of Dinosaurs,” the entries describe individual species. Each selection includes a helpful pronunciation guide as well as the meaning behind the dinosaur’s name. In muted colors with unexpected details, the ethereal artwork differs from the bold, aggressive pictures found in many dinosaur books. Created on paper bags with a variety of media, this collage art expands on the humor found in the verses. Back matter includes a “Glossarysaurus” that provides more information for each dinosaur and details about its extinction, and a page of dinosaur museums and fossil Web sites. This smart marriage of dinosaurs and poetry will delight a wide audience.–Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (starred)

Triceratops
try-SAIR-a-tops (three-horned face)

Triceratops.
Try-scare-a-tops.
Try-wouldn't-want-to-dare-a-tops.
Triceratops.
Try-stare-a-tops.
Beware-and-please-take-care-a-tops.
Born with three great horns in place,
Triceratops was in your face.

The Living End

detail of endpaper from DINOTHESAURUS copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian
Who says endpapers can't be fun? This intrepid girl is shaking hands with a pterodactyl, a prehistoric reptile with a wingspan of more than 30 feet (and you thought bats were scary!)Though not true dinosaurs (dinosaurs were terrestrial) pterodactyls were part of an airborne reptile group called pterosaurs(winged lizards), the poem of which I promise to reveal this Poetry Friday. The painting is based on a 19th century engraving, red-headed child not included.

Sneak Peek #3

Ankylosaurus
AN-kee-lo-SAW-rus (fused lizard)

Tough as tanks and hard as nails.
Heavy clubs swing from our tails.
We like spikes and we like skutes
(Bony plates we wear as suits).
We have heavy-armored skin--
Hey, but that's the skin we're in!

You've already seen the front jacket of DINOTHESAURUS (November 26th post), a detail of Spinosaurus on my masthead, so now here's the short poem and a detail of the art of Ankylosaurus. This 5-ton, 35 foot-long, heavily-armored herbivore had bony plates, sharp spikes, and a rough tough skin as defense against predators. So I depicted it as a tank, with treads, stars, and khaki green skin (nobody knows its real skin color). And it's coming right back at ya.
image and poem copyright 2009 Douglas Florian

Sneak peek: Baryonyx

Illustration and poem copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian

To celebrate the new year, a new sneak peek from DINOTHESAURUS, coming this March.
Baryonyx, nicknamed claws, had a twelve-inch curved claw on each hand which it used to...well, you'll have to read the poem to find out:

Baryonyx

BARE-ee-ON-icks (heavy claw)

He had a huge and heavy claw

And crocodile-like skull.

A lashing, slashing, dino-saw,

A sharpie, never dull.

His claws and jaws and pointed teeth

Were fashioned to attack.

If Bary you should ever meet-

Ask him to scratch your back.

Poetry Frightday

Illustration and poem "Deinonychus" copyright 2009 Douglas Florian

For Poetry Friday a frightful poem, "Deinonychus" from DINOTHESAURUS. Deinonychus was a dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period that used its sharp claws and powerful jaws to kill its prey. The raptors in the movie Jurassic Park that chased the kids around the lab were very similar to this predator. Some paleontologists say it was warm-blooded and had feathers (which I've indicated a bit). There was also a heavy metal band named Deinonychus. I snuck their goth logo into the art.

Deinonychus

die-NON-i-kus (terrible claw)

Deinonychus had terrible claws.

Deinonychus had dangerous jaws.

Deinonychus was built to attack.

Deinonychus would hunt in a pack.

Deinonychus would leap on its prey.

Deinonychus could ruin your whole day!