Rawr! - Hardcover

Todd Doodler is a professional doodler and the creator of the bestselling BEAR IN UNDERWEAR series. His doodles can also be seen on clothing, paintings, as cartoons, and in other fun books. He divides his time between the sunny states of Florida and California.

“Being a dinosaur is hard,” admits the striped, wide-eyed, toothy dinosaur narrator. He’s too big for his school desk, his gym clothes are too small, and playing hide-and-seek is a challenge. Worse, his “RAWR!” is terrifying to others. But as he explains, he’s really friendly and helpful—whether retrieving a ball from a roof or serving as crossing guard. Yes, he may be big, but he insists there’s nothing to fear, including his “RAWR,” which has a friendly meaning. Throughout, the dinosaur’s attempts to soften and debunk his scary reputation are complemented by simply-rendered, bright-hued cartoonish illustrations accompanied by short phrases in a handwritten-style font. However, the audience at whom the dinosaur’s exhortations are aimed is unclear (the somewhat generic-faced kids all smile in his presence), and while the book, including its cover featuring a soft-textured, puffy upright dino, seems targeted toward younger ones, they may not fully grasp the humor (like inadvertently crushing a playground slide). Still, the message of looking beyond appearances is a helpful one. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Shelle Rosenfeld