FICTION

What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas

by Refe Tuma & Susan Tuma
Little, Brown. (What the Dinosaurs Did: Bk. 3). Oct. 2021. 40p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780316539654.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 3–A child goes to sleep on Christmas Eve, excited about what the next day will bring. The child hears noises in the house, goes to investigate, and finds dinosaurs who are pretending to be Santa and his reindeer. The child believes it is Santa bringing presents, until realizing the visitors are destroying the Christmas tree and gifts. This book is a mash-up retelling of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The images consist of mixed-media illustrations and pictures of plastic dinosaurs in various scenes, a combination that makes the scenes come alive throughout the book. Readers might surmise that the protagonist is telling a story with what looks like taped pictures in a homemade book. The narrative can get a little confusing on first reading. Still, this is a fun-to-read, rhyming book that kids will enjoy.
VERDICT A nice addition to Christmas picture book collections.
Reviewed by ­Dorinda Brown, High Plains Community Schs., Polk, NE , Nov 01, 2021

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