35. This Little Dinosaur (Board book)

35. Board book: This Little Dinosaur. Ingela P. Arrhenius (illustrations). 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, interactive book, dinosaurs]

First sentence: This little dinosaur has soft shiny spines. This little dinosaur has big, pointy teeth.

Premise/plot: This board book is published by Nosy Crow. It is an interactive board book for the youngest of readers.

My thoughts: I can be VERY opinionated when it comes to interactive, touch and feel books. I am an overthinker. Many readers are not overthinkers. Most toddlers are not going to overthink this one. I would say all, but, there may always be young Sheldon Cooper's out there who would.

I did enjoy the texture of the dinosaur on the cover. This texture is repeated once in the book. (On the cover it is padded underneath. On the last page it is not.) Most of the textures are soft fabric, padded fabric, sparkly fabric. I cannot emphasize enough that SPARKLY and shiny are not things that you can touch and feel. They are just not. I also thought it weird that "pointy" teeth are soft fabric--padded. Teeth shouldn't squish. I also don't think spines would be soft.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

34. Board book: Buzz Like a Bee

34. Buzz Like a Bee (Board Book) Guilherme Karsten. 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, board book, activity book, interactive books]

First sentence: Spin like a spider way up high. Can you spin like a spider?

Premise/plot: This is an interactive board book with sliders to push and pull...and things to spin. It is focused on bugs? insects? bugs and insects?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I think it is probably best suited for home libraries. I think library copies that get frequently checked out may wear out quickly. Especially if checked out by a family with a young reader that becomes fixated on one activity. The pull out zooming bee, for example, may just prove too tempting for wee little hands. It is a FUN book.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

33. Dinos That Drive

33. Dinos that Drive. Suzy Levinson. Illustrated by Dustin Harbin. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, poetry]

First sentence: You've never seen a dinosaur
that's into driving cars?
You've never seen a dinosaur
that flies a jumbo jet?
You've never seen a dinosaur
that rockets to the stars?
Then buckle up! Let's take a ride...
YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!

Premise/plot: Do you have a little one that loves, loves, loves dinosaurs? Do you have a little one that loves vehicles? Things that go, go, go!!! This themed poetry collection might be a great fit for you and your family.

Each dinosaur has a favorite vehicle. The T-Rex is a recurring character that keeps popping back up in the poems. There are dinosaur facts as well in the dialogue bubbles (or speech bubbles).

The style is very Richard Scarry-ish.

My thoughts: It's fun. It's whimsical. I don't think a love of poetry is an absolute must. I do think you need to like dinosaurs!


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

32. Barbed Wire Between Us

32. Barbed Wire Between Us. Mia Wenjen. Illustrated by Violeta Encarnacion. 2026. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, poetry, reverso poetry]

First sentence: IN this land of promise,
we hoped to find a place to belong.
To our surprise, we were unjustly imprisoned.
We came with only what we could carry.
Our family was separated.

Premise/plot: Barbed Wire Between Us uses the poetic format of a reverso poem. It is a picture book for older readers. It tells two stories--same words, different order. One story is set in the 1940s in Japanese internment camps. The other story is set in contemporary times--give or take a couple of years.

My thoughts: This is a picture book that some adults will absolutely love, love, love. Will children be drawn into this story? Perhaps. But I have a hard time imagining it without a lot of pushing from adults (teachers, librarians, etc.).

Is it political? As much as I want to say it is not...it decidedly is. Two different timelines. The Japanese internment was taking Japanese-American families that were living in America--some for multiple generations--and putting them behind barbed wire because they feared they were still loyal to a country that the United States was at war with. There was no proof, no reason beyond fear for this action. The contemporary story is of a family newly entering the United States--illegally--and being put in a immigrant detention center. I will say that the book simplifies or oversimplifies the modern day situation.

I have read fiction and nonfiction for all ages about the Japanese internment. Including a fabulous book about a librarian who sent books to children in these camps.

I like the idea of a reverso poem, but, the modern story just doesn't give enough details to ground it, in my opinion. There are more questions than answers.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

31. Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

31. Board book: Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. Mo Willems. 2006/2026. 38 pages. [Source: Library] [animal fantasy]

First sentence: Everyone in town knew Edwina. She was the dinosaur who played with the neighborhood kids. She was the dinosaur who did favors for anyone who asked. Edwina helped little old ladies cross the street. And she baked chocolate-chip cookies for everyone. Everyone loved Edwina...except Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie.

Premise/plot: Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie spends most of the book trying to convince everyone [and Edwina] that dinosaurs are extinct. Can Edwina's awesomeness convince Reginald to become a better, kinder person???

My thoughts: I liked this one well enough. I love Mo Willems most of the time. Edwina is a great dinosaur. I enjoyed this one.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers