Archibald and the Furry Dinosaurs

K-Gr 3–The team behind the “Grumpy Monkey” books brings readers Archibald, a “bald as a boulder” dinosaur in the age when all the other dinosaurs are furry. Left out from the communal “shampooing, combing, picking, brushing, and preening,” Archibald goes on a quest for his long-lost hair. Clever wordplay abounds as Archibald flees Wollyciraptors, stumbles on a Shaginosaur nest, tricks the Haironodons with a spinach hat (Haironodons hate spinach), and narrowly escapes the terrifying Furranasaurus with a stroke of luck. He even manages to save a small dinosaur named Pom-Pom. Though Archibald finally locates his hair, a surprise ending will please readers and parents alike when the two don’t happily reunite, cleverly subverting an expected trope; instead, the other dinosaurs, jealous of Archibald’s freedom from hair care and ability to wear all kinds of hats, shave their own heads, curls and locks flying. Delicately drawn vignettes that heavily feature warm browns and greens are interspersed with full-bleed illustrations; these render the dinosaurs more friendly than scary, and that helps ground a delightful tale.