READ TO ME/OPINION
‘Kitties on Dinosaurs’ By Michael Slack (Dial Books, September 2020), ages 3-5 years, 40 pages, $17.99
“Dinosaurs on Kitty Island,” due on bookstore shelves Oct. 19, reminds me that I missed writing in 2020 about Michael Slack’s terrific picture book “Kitties on Dinosaurs.” Its sequel, “Kitty Island,” will take readers back to the shallow sea where “Kitties on Dinosaurs” introduced us to a green and fluffy, cat-shaped island sitting near stony gray Dinosaur Island. So let’s talk about the delightfully silly “Kitties on Dinosaurs,” a fine book to read aloud — emphasis on loud.
Three residents of Kitty Island like to climb things. A narrator talks to them about this. They have climbed their cat tree, a real tree and also an ancient litter box in some trees. What do they plan to climb next?
The answer — which they convey by staring at the dino island — is that they want to climb dinosaurs. We see three angular beasts awkwardly cavorting over there.
The narrator is aghast:
“You are cuddly. You are cute. They are humongous. They will eat you alive. You do not want to climb those dinosaurs.”
Oh, but they do. And although they fail many times, the kitties keep trying until they succeed … or so we think. Meanwhile, the dinosaurs say “Rawr” in a way that kids love to mimic. The surprise ending is also big fun.
The sequel shares the same bold illustrative style, with Slack’s jaunty digital paintings of ambitious kittens and clueless dinosaurs. But, too bad, the new story won’t make total sense unless you’ve already read the goofy original.
Read to Me is a weekly review of short books for little kids.