Dinosaur Stories

K-Gr 3—Three dinosaur stories will please viewers who can't get enough of these enormous beasts. Circus background music sets the scene for a beloved classic, Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur. Who hasn't imagined how wonderful it would be to have a talking dinosaur as a pet for a day? Meanwhile, orchestral music scores in Peter McCarty's iconic T Is for Tyrannosaurus, as the tympani booms and the deep bassoon represents the giant T. rex to a "T." Narrator David de Vries roars that he is "NOT a vegetarian!" while meekly and humorously stating he's got to be what he is…terrible! Hands down, the best in this trio is Bob Barner's nonfiction selection Dinosaur Bones. It translates best to the screen, with galloping dinosaurs that chase each other comically; viewers get a feel for the size and movement of these creatures based on clues they left buried behind. Plus, the x-ray illustrations reveal how these bones might have moved 65 million years ago. This is an imaginative, entertaining, and memorable presentation of factual content. Original pop music composed and sung by Raul Melo enhances the presentation as kids learn, "Today, only bones are left to show what has happened long ago," and though dinosaurs are gone for good, "Maybe they once lived in your neighborhood." Curious kids will wonder and use this humorous collection as a springboard to discover more about dinosaurs.