If I Had a Raptor

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From School Library Journal --------------------------- PreS-K—This story is a welcome addition to the dinosaur-as-pet genre, in which a girl imagines all of the fun she would have with a dinosaur of her very own. In her imagination, the birdlike dino she plucks out of a box marked "Free Raptors" starts out "teensy and tiny." The creature is able to hide all over the house, so a bell is attached to the little predator's collar. From raptor feedings to nail clippings and hunting prey, the girl imagines that life with her own raptor "would be the best thing ever." The protagonist has the charming obliviousness of a young child, as she hug-strangles her pet and treats the dinosaur like a lapdog, even when "Dinah" outgrows her lap and even the chair. The earnest text is perfectly complemented by colorful pencil and watercolor cartoon illustrations, which show the joys and challenges of caring for a pet. Dinosaur facts are embedded into the story, such as a velociraptor's impressive night vision—which the young owner mentions she doesn't possess, evidenced as she steps on a startled Dinah's tail in the dark. Readers will appreciate the similarities between the impractical dino and more realistic animal pets, like cats or dogs. The text is lively and simple enough to make a great read-aloud. O'Connor's charming protagonist is an African American girl, a fact that is not integral to the story but simply wonderful for readers to see. A fun story for any dinosaur fan.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) Review ------ A master cartoonist who strikes an ideal balance between visual sophistication and warmth, O’Connor does wonderful things with the gap between the hopes and dreams of the narrator, a small girl with wonderfully expressive pigtails, and the reality of pet ownership. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) In a switcheroo that even catless readers will spot immediately, O’Connor opens with a small girl sporting a winsome smile and big, scribbly hair—crouching next to a carton labeled “Free Raptors.” Looking in the clean and simple illustrations like a blue dust mop with big eyes (and impressive claws), one “teensy and tiny” selection is carried home. ... The besotted little girl is just about as adorable as her raptor, with two enormous pom-pom ponytails framing her dark face. So cute. Who wouldn’t want one? —Kirkus Reviews The roundly cartoonish illustrations, thick and loose pencil outlines and filled in with bright, textured watercolors on glossy paper, show off the similarities [between the raptor and a cat]. The blue, feathered raptor—a ball of fluff as a baby—grows up to curl its tail felinely around itself as it snuggles on the laundry and shine its dinner-plate eyes at night as its owner gets a glass of water. Though the most giggles will come from older kids who get the conceit in the modest comparison, even youngest ones who would thrill at the idea of a dinosaur pet will take to a storytime sharing of this imaginative tale. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books This story is a welcome addition to the dinosaur-as-pet genre... The earnest text is perfectly complemented by colorful pencil and watercolor cartoon illustrations, which show the joys and challenges of caring for a pet. ... Readers will appreciate the similarities between the impractical dino and more realistic animal pets, like cats or dogs. The text is lively and simple enough to make a great read-aloud. —School Library Journal With pictures and words that are at odds with one another, master cartoonist O'Connor imbues a potentially frightening situation with hilarity and warmth. —East Bay Express Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) About the Author ---------------- George O’Connor is the creator of several children’s books, including the New York Times best-selling Olympians series, retellings of Greek myths in comic form. About If I Had a Raptor, he says, "Someone smarter than me once remarked that if your cat was a little bigger and you were a little bit smaller, it would eat you. That comparison informed my dino ization of the house cat in If I Had a Raptor." George O’Connor lives (with his clawed and clever cat) in Brooklyn. Read more ( javascript:void(0) )