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