Brianna Caplan Sayres--
children's book
author & editor
Tiara Saurus Rex
illustrated by Mike Boldt
Bloomsbury
It's time for the Miss Dinosaur pageant and the girls are ready!
Patty Saurus puts on her best dress. Stef O'Saurus covers her scales with jewels. Teri Dactyl practices flying and Sarah Topps practices hula hooping on all of her horns.
But there's one dinosaur who doesn't need to prepare because . . .
Tina Rex always wins! She's a fierce competitor and her brilliant smile scares away the other girls. But is it really fun to win when you've chased away all of your friends? Tina's not so sure.
This hilarious mash-up of dinosaurs and beauty pageants will delight readers young and old. And Tina Rex might just teach little ones a gentle lesson along the way.
Reviews--
"Tina Saurus Rex is competing in the Miss Dinosaur pageant with a handful of other dinosaur ladies. Unfortunately, Tina seems to have a bit of a temper problem as the participants are reminded again and again to "Beware… Tina has to win." While she does in fact get the crown in the end, she also seems to have learned a lesson in friendship… sort of. The rhyming phrases become slightly clunky as the story progresses, and kids might be confused about what is actually happening to all of the disappearing dinosaurs. "It's talent time. They must prepare./But where are Patty and Stef, oh where?" The digital illustrations have a soft dreamlike feel and are large enough for group sharing. Since dinosaurs are always in demand and the approach here is unique, this book could be considered as a supplemental purchase for libraries.— School Library Journal, Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI
"a dinosaur book for tiara-wearing, dress-up-loving girls...stands a good chance of broadening the perspective of dress-up fans and dinosaur fans alike, blurring traditional gender boundaries along the way." --Jen Robinson's Book Page
"Tina may win the crown after she scares off the other contestants, but her true prize is a new friend in this rhyming picture book." --The Seattle Times
"Sayres writes a sweet, rhyming anti-diva tale for children ages 5-7, enhanced by charming illustrations, which are appropriately very large and vibrantly colorful."--Brandeis Magazine
"Take a bunch of gorgeous dinosaurs, enter them in a beauty pageant... Surprisingly, the strongest contender is possibly not the most beautiful, but she does have the largest number of very sharp teeth." --my friend lucy (One year, 365 picture books)