What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?
by Mark Lee; illus. by Brian Biggs
Preschool, Primary    Putnam    40 pp.    g
5/19    978-1-5247-4123-5    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-1-5247-4124-2    $10.99

Used-car salesman Uncle Otto, desperate to make a sale, vows to “sell a car to anyone — or anything — that shows up.” But when dinosaurs begin lumbering onto the lot looking for deals, Uncle Otto is flummoxed (and frightened). Luckily, niece Ava and nephew Mickey are visiting, and they know a few things about dinos — and sales. The two suggest an off-road vehicle for a stegosaurus so the plant eater can “drive deep into the forest to find mosses and ferns to snack on.” They sell a convertible to a fish-eating Pterodactyl: “You can drive to the beach and glide from the cliffs to the ocean.” While Lee’s straight-faced text calmly relates the story, Biggs’s expressive digitally colored brush and ink art fills in details and expands on the narrative. His comical cartoon illustrations — with massive dinosaurs jammed, clown car–like, into people-size vehicles — bring the kooky premise to life. So what kind of car does a T. Rex drive? Once again, the kids come up with the perfect suggestion: a monster truck, of course. Smashed cars, expert kids, dinosaurs! Customer satisfaction guaranteed!

From the July/August 2019 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.