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Searching... Mount Angel Public Library | E STEINBERG | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | STEINBERG | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Encourage children to explore synonyms using the adorable Thesaurus Rex. Rex, a dinosaur who has an irresistible way with words, will "slither, skid, slide and glide" his way into children's hearts. Paired with Debbie Harter's vibrant watercolours, Laya Steinberg's energetic text will engage even the youngest of audiences.But Thesaurus Rex is more than just fun: the alliteration and end rhyme foster phonemic awareness, the action-verb synonyms strengthen young readers' vocabulary and the succinct text builds pre-literacy skills.
Author Notes
Laya Steinberg is a writer, illustrator and graphic designer originally from Ottawa. She draws her inspiration from her children. Debbie Harter illustrated the popular Bear series and The Animal Boogie, which won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award 2001. She divides her time between England and Australia.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Thesaurus Rex spends his day exercising, exploring, and getting into trouble. After a nutritious dinner, the little turquoise dinosaur takes a bath and is tucked into bed by his mom. Filled with descriptive language, the text offers numerous synonyms for each activity. For example, when Rex exercises, he is "stretching, reaching, extending, bending." The bouncy, rhyming language is enhanced by bright watercolor-and-crayon illustrations that create a wonderful sense of movement. One picture shows the happy dinosaur jumping into a swamp; brown mud splashes cross over to the opposite page where he is shown again, no longer smiling and buried in the slime. Many of the words used are listed as synonyms in Scholastic Children's Thesaurus (Scholastic, 1998) and American Heritage Children's Thesaurus (American Heritage, 2003), a connection that could be useful for older students. An entertaining and painless way for children to broaden their vocabulary while enjoying a fun story.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Taken as a story about a young dinosaur's daily activities, this book is pleasant enough. But the premise--to introduce the concept of synonyms--doesn't work. Stretching and bending are [cf2]not[cf1] synonyms, neither are many of the pairs presented as such. The bold, cartoonlike illustrations provide an amusing accompaniment to the rhyming text. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A delightful romp through the world of words (language, vocabulary, terminology) as readers follow young Thesaurus Rex through his busy day exploring his world and the words that can be used to describe his actions. "Thesaurus Rex starts his day stretching, reaching, extending, bending. Uh oh, his pants need mending!" There are four synonyms for each word, and at least one of these will be familiar. Steinberg has chosen excellent synonyms that will help children extend their vocabulary--foraging, slither, frolic, gnaw, scour, hurtle. Marvelous onomatopoeia is used throughout, as when he gets stuck in the mud: "Thesaurus Rex calls his Mom: howl, yowl, squeal, and shout. Whoosh, plop! She pulls him out." The humorous illustrations are brightly colored and will help young children see the meanings of the new words. Harter is a master at depicting facial expressions--readers will have no trouble in identifying with the dinosaur tyke. Great, super, terrific, cool. (Picture book. 2-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.