Dino-Soccer

August 1, 2009
Gr 1-3-Once again Wheeler and Gott have teamed up for an action-packed sports extravaganza. The Grazers, in gold, take on the blue-uniformed Biters in a rough-and-tumble soccer match. Cheered on by their enthusiastic and colorful fans, the vegetarian and meat-eating dino players pass, steal, and trap the ball as they travel up and down the field. Each exciting play is recounted in rhyming verse with the names of the dinosaurs printed in the appropriate team color to indicate whether they are herbivore or carnivore. The play-by-play commentary is sprinkled with terms like "check," "spike," and "dribble," which will resonate with young soccer players. As the game progresses, the competition is fierce and the score teeters back and forth. At the end of the day, the Biters prevail, but the vanquished Grazers refuse to give up. Soon they will meet their opponents on the baseball field for a spirited game of Dino-ball. Gott's vibrant illustrations increase the suspense and fast pace of the rollicking narrative. The expressive faces of the players and the frenetic energy of the pictures add a bit of humor to the story. Sports fans and dinosaur lovers will delight in this follow-up to "Dino-Hockey" (Carolrhoda, 2007)."Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2009
Preschool-G Apparently unfazed from their no-holds-barred battle in Dino-Hockey (2007), these extinct athletes strap on their cleats to settle their grudge on the soccer field. Once again, they are divided into carnivore/herbivore teamsthe Biters versus the Grazersand Wheeler even goes so far as to include rosters and positions (Gallimimus as Midfielder, T. Rex as Striker). Pachycephalosaurus uses his domed skull to head-butt a shot, and a dino fight leads to dual red cards. Thats about it for the sports lessons, but Wheeler sneaks in dino-facts with nearly every bounce of the ball; as the tiny Lesothosaurus scrambles around the opposing behemoths, Wheeler writes: Leso traps it with his feet. / Although hes small, / his moves are sweet. Gotts busy, gregarious art is humorously consistent, with team flags and jerseys giving the sense that this world, silly as it is, has been thoroughly envisioned. The shocker endingthe Grazers lose due to a grass-munching goalieis ameliorated somewhat by a teaser of the next sport on deck. (Thats a hint.)(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
"Here come herds of soccer fans / and dino-moms in minivans." All are eager for the herbivore Grazers to take on the carnivore Biters. Wheeler's rhymes (some are a stretch) capture the play-by-play action as pterodactyls, a diplodocus, and other dino-types pass the ball, score goals, and even get red-carded for brawling. Gott's busy illustrations pop with energy.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)