Dazzle the Dinosaur

With his beautiful glittering spines, Dazzle is the most spectacular dinosaur ever. When he and his friend Maia the Maiasauras set out on an adventure, they meet a friendly Stegosaurus, a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex, a helpful Apatosauras...and the terrible Dragonsaurus! Will Dazzle's shining spines save the day?

The appeal of this somewhat run-of-the-mill story is boosted by the use of a reflective overlay on the tiny prehistoric hero's spines-the same technique that brought bestsellerdom to Pfister's The Rainbow Fish. Readers first meet Dazzle as a sparkly egg that has mysteriously appeared in Mother Maiasaurus's nest. He hatches at the same time as little Maia, and they become fast friends, exploring the valley where they live and dodging its many dangers-including the bloodthirsty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Dazzle vows to rout the evil Dragonsaurus who drove the Maiasauruses from their valley, a quest ensues, and the flashy hero's shiny spines save the day. Pfister's soft pen-and-wash illustrations, rendered in soothing hues of lavender, soft green and blue are pretty, though oddly bland-with the exception, of course, of Dazzle's shiny spines. There is some fact woven into this fantasy, but these wide-eyed dinosaurs have more in common with Barney than with the exhibits of a natural history museum. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information.

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K-Gr 2?Two young dinosaur friends, Maia (a Maiasaurus) and Dazzle (who has a row of iridescent, foil-stamped spines on his back), set off to reclaim their ancestral cave from a mean Dragonsaurus that has taken over. They scare him away with an implausible tactic and then, in an anticlimactic ending, lead the other dinosaurs back to the peaceful valley. Blues and blended greens predominate in the watercolor illustrations. The cartoonlike creatures have wide eyes; Maia has long, curly lashes. Dazzle's spines hint at a magical element that is never really delivered. A dazzle-less production.?Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY