Tag Archives: dinosaurs

Dinosaur Therapy

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img_1448Book: Dinosaur Therapy by James Stewart; Illustrated by K Roméy

Date Read: October 3 to 4, 2021

Rating: 5 (of 5) stars

Here I go again: one more online comic turned book to add to my shelves! These fun dinosaur comics started on Instagram sometime in 2020, and I started following not long after. I admit that it seems a little off to describe a comic about anxious, depressed dinosaurs as “fun,” but I really do think that it fits—the more serious content paired with the colorful, cute cartoon dinosaurs creates something that is both sadly relatable and comedic.

We can laugh because we can see the truth in it, but it also opens the door to a more accessible discussion of mental health. It also fits with one of my personal theories—that memes are the primary millennial coping mechanism. While the online comic is not strictly focused on mental health, I think those that follow in that theme resonate the most. It was definitely the perfect theme to focus on for this collection in book form.

Followers of the original comic account will be happy to see many of their favorites in the book, along with some new content. I thought inclusion of both was well balanced. There are also some updates in style that add a little extra to the book edition—when the comic first began, the frames were a bit simpler and did not include much in the way of background. All comics in the book have the newer detailed background style, and some of that art is really beautiful. Overall, really happy with this book and glad I decided to add it to my shelves!

Minka’s Thoughts: “It is small and cute like me. Approved! 4 paws.”

Dinotrux

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img_5525Book: Dinotrux by Chris Gall

For this month’s children’s book, I decided to stray a little from my typical choices in this area. Generally speaking, I like to feature some of the fun picture books in my school library, as well as some of the books on my own shelves that I consider to be children’s “classics.” This month is a tribute to my cool nephew Clint, with the book that I picked out for his birthday: Dinotrux. What an amazing combination, isn’t it? I know my nephew is not alone in his love for dinosaurs. With my brother’s job in trucking and frequent renovation projects, he is certainly no stranger to trucks and other large equipment. While I did choose this book with a specific kid in mind, I think there is a pretty wide appeal among children for a dinosaur and truck crossover book.

Millions of years ago, prehistoric trucks roamed the earth… Unlike trucks today, these trucks were mostly troublemakers. We are given a tour of prehistoric earth with introductions to all of the truck-dino combinations, such as the hungry Craneosaurus with his head in the trees and the Dozeratops pushing trees and boulders around. The illustrations give us some extra ideas about all the trouble these trucks caused for prehistoric man. I think my favorite were the sleepy Deliveradons, reminiscent of the brown UPS delivery trucks.

Both kids and adults can get a good laugh from this fun book. I am not quite going to predict that this will end up on anyone’s list of classic children’s literature, but I am pretty confident that my nephew is going to love it. He is four, after all, and when you’re four, what more do you need than dinosaurs and trucks?

Minka’s Thoughts: “I think… I would like to be one of these when I grow up. 3 paws.”