Dinotrux Dig the Beach

PreS-Gr 2—Although Revenge of the Dinotrux (Little, Brown, 2012) was set in the present, the third installment in the series places the truck/dinosaur combo characters back in prehistoric times with the "cave people" who populated the first book. Summer in the jungle is hot, and the Dinotrux are grumpy, so they decide to take a beach vacation. The story line is not as innovative as the earlier books, but children will love seeing their own seaside activities (fishing, surfing, building a sand castle, toasting marshmallows, etc.) carried out by the Dinotrux. Some drama occurs when little Scoopasaurus is threatened by sharks, but tough Tyrannosaurus Trux quickly saves the day. Gall's graphite pencil—drawn, digitally colored illustrations give the book a great deal of humorous appeal. The artist cleverly combines elements of dinosaurs and trucks into individually distinct creatures with specific abilities and characteristics. For example, the surfing spread shows Tyrannosaurus Trux in a confident stance, Dumploducus nervously teetering, and Garbageadon playfully doing a handstand. The illustrations provide fun details, such as the story beginning and ending on the endpapers, and the Dinotrux arriving at the beach loaded with buckets, shovels, beach balls, and a picnic basket.