Play with Your Food

K-Gr 3—When is it a good idea to play with your food? In the ancient Permian Period, it's an "eat or be eaten" kind of world, and a saucy coelurosauravus has to think fast, talk fast, and move even faster to avoid becoming another animal's breakfast. The little winged lizard escapes a giant spider, only to land right on the nose of a hungry dimetrodon. The smaller creature tries its best to convince the predator that it's more fun to play with prey than to eat it, suggesting hide-and-see, pick-up sticks, or hopscotch before finally starting a game of tag that distracts the dimetrodon from thoughts of devouring the chatty reptile. The narrative takes a twist when a giant-tusked gorgonopsid comes on the scene, asking if the two smaller animals are ready to be lunch. They answer with the question "Have you ever played with your food?" and the chase continues. The illustrations depict a lush and verdant landscape, with reptiles of blue, red, and purple populating the scenes. A Permian Field Guide sketched on the endpapers invites readers to seek out different animals throughout the pages of the book. The text is a bit choppy and conversational for reading aloud, but independent early grade readers will get a kick out of both the story and the glimpse at life before the dinosaurs.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC