Continuing to follow the successful blueprint of the long-running How Do Dinosaurs books, Yolen and Teague pose the possibility of dinosaurs wreaking merry havoc on Christmas Eve. Uproarious hypotheticals-do dinosaurs rip open presents, "shake up the tree," or eat all the cookies left out for Santa?-give way to portraits of the dinos' angelic behavior in the second half. Yolen's characteristically wry verse is flawless in its rhyme and rhythm, and as in the earlier outings, the art's buttoned-up 1950s fashions and furnishings provide a comical visual contrast to the outlandish, brightly colored dinosaurs. Simultaneously available: How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? Up to age 4. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-Yolen and Teague add to their delightful dinosaur canon with this funny, gentle reminder of proper behavior for the most eagerly anticipated of holidays. As in previous titles, the dinosaurs have human parents and each one can be identified by the inclusion of its name in the illustrations. The 10 featured behemoths also adorn the endpapers. Enhancing the hilarity are the cats and dogs in the role of family pets bearing witness to the dinosaurs' antics-such as sneaking out of bed to peek, ripping open presents, deconstructing the tree, pre-licking candy canes, dumping out stockings, and eating Santa's cookies. Don't pass up this exuberant guide to achieving yuletide harmony.-Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Yolen and Teague extend their dinosaur franchise with this rollicking romp of rampaging dinosaurs up to their terrible tricks throughout the Christmas season. Using the familiar structure of naughty-then-nice behavior, the dinosaur crew rips open presents, knocks over decorated trees and dumps out filled stockings. When they get hungry, they eat all the Christmas cookies and lick all the candy canes. But in the calmer, concluding half, the well-behaved dinosaurs sing carols politely, help with the dishes and interact nicely with the grandparents. They even get to sleep in time for Santa's arrival. Young readers will delight in the initial wild antics, with the falling Christmas trees, flying ornaments and the brilliantly colored dinosaurs cavorting around the decorated living rooms in wild abandonment. The large trim size and double-page illustrations offer plenty of room to show off the dinosaurs in motion. Each dinosaur is identified within the illustrations as well as in humorous spot illustrations on the endpapers. What child wouldn't love to grab all the presents and lick all the candy canes one by one? Those naughty dinosaurs have the most fun, and their fans will be waiting to see what they get up to next. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen; illus. by Mark TeaguePreschool Blue Sky/Scholastic 32 pp.Now appearing in board-book form, Yolen and Teague's mischievous dinos (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, among many others) tackle winter holiday traditions and observances-first modeling bad behavior (blowing out the Chanukkah candles, un-decorating the Christmas tree), then demonstrating decorum. Bouncy rhymes and humorous illustrations of vivacious large-scale dinosaurs alongside staid humans combine for cheery and welcome holiday-book entries; the new slightly-taller-than-usual board book format is an apt match for the stories' outsized protagonists. Elissa GershowitzNovember/December 2019 p.36(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.