Illustrated by John Shroades
Rating: Marginal
HarperCollins, 2009, $16.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-1170546
Age/Grade Level: Ages 4-8
Tyrannoclaus is the story of a Tyrannosaurus Rex serving as a dino-version of Santa Claus for all the dinosaur children. It follows the model of the classic holiday tale 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. In this fractured version of the tale, Tyrannoclaus and his helpers are busy preparing for Christmas when the volcano crater they are working in begins to erupt. Tyrannoclaus and his helpers must rush to escape impending doom and safely deliver gifts to all the young dinosaurs.
What child doesn't love T-Rex and Christmas? Well, I think a child who experienced this book might find it a big disappointing. The cover art for this book made me very hopeful, but when I started reading it I was disappointed by the contrived rhyming that was used so that the story would mimic the classic, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I am sure young children will appreciate the illustrations in the book, with brightly colored dinosaurs, but the text and flow of the story are lacking in what could have been a great picture book.
Reviewer: Kristine Russell, OCPL/Ladera Ranch
