O’Brien, Patrick. Big Babies. Patrick O’Brien, Illus. Charlesbridge, 01/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-6235-4366-2. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
These adorable digital illustrations show baby dinosaurs with puppy-like expressions playing alongside common toys. Baby Velociraptor, the “swift thief,” runs alongside a race car; the Anatotitan, or “giant duck,” approaches a rubber ducky; and the “tyrant lizard king,” baby Tyrannosaurus Rex, sits inside a toy crown. The text is equally attractive, with a large font spelling out the dino’s name, a second colored font giving their nickname, and a sentence or two in block black print placed on an expanse of white page. All the illustrations are spread across both pages, giving plenty of room for the incredibly cute babies, a bit of their full-size dino counterparts, and a human toy or treat, while still leaving plenty of white space for the text. Back matter includes a paragraph about each of the dinosaurs as well as a “Behold the Babies” size chart that plots each baby dino next to a four-foot human kid.
Rachael Reiley—Hillcrest Elementary K–8 / Oakland Unified School District