By
– May 14, 2012
The “bigger than life” orange guest that was introduced in Dinosaur on Hanukkah, returns for another Jewish holiday celebration. This time the overzealous reptile wants to participate in all the Passover rituals with a little boy and his family, no matter how difficult the preparations appear to be! The little boy puts his oversized new friend to work and together they remove the forbidden foods, prepare horseradish, sing the Four Questions, drink the wine, retell the story of the Exodus, eat matzah, search for the afikomen, and open the door for Elijah. Although “Dino” is very enthusiastic and very focused on being helpful, his huge hulk makes him very clumsy and causes him to wreck havoc at the Seder. The family is naturally relieved when after all his hard work, Dino misses the end of Passover by falling asleep! The simple rhyming text has a lyrical cadence that will be enjoyable to share out loud: “He searches for the afikomen/The books fly left and right/I have to help him find it/So it doesn’t take all night.” Colorful double-page acrylic illustrations complement the text with many humorous details. In addition, a brief endnote succinctly explains the meaning of Passover, which may spark interest in finding out more about the holiday. For ages 3 – 5.
Reading Guide
Debra Gold has been a children’s librarian for over 20 years in the Cuyahoga County Public Library System. An active member of the ALA, she has served on many committees including the Caldecott, Newbery and Batchelder committees.