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All Aboard the Dinotrain    by Deb Lund & Howard Fine Amazon.com order for
All Aboard the Dinotrain
by Deb Lund
Order:  USA  Can
Harcourt, 2006 (2006)
Hardcover
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch

Dinosaurs featured in children's picture books seem to never lose their popularity, and those All Aboard the Dinotrain should prove no exception. Children will want to ride along with this colorful group of dinosaurs, who decide to board a train, waving tearful goodbyes to their relatives. Many adventures await them, including having to save themselves when their train goes off the track. Lund also featured traveling dinosaurs in Dinosailors.

The language is fun and I love the dinosaurs' attempt to push the train when it is going too slow: 'We think we can!' they dinosay, 'Our dinomight will save the day.' And after they end up in the water with a big kersplash: 'They dinogroan, "How can it be? We thought this trip was water-free! What made us want to dinoroam? Let's shake this lake and head back home."' The last lines leave open the possibility for a sequel: 'We'll never take another train…But how about a dinoplane?'

I enjoyed the bright watercolors and the wonderful expressions on the faces of the dinosaurs. A terrific touch is the introduction of the cast of dinocharacters in the opening and ending pages, including the Tyrannosauraus rex as the porter, and the Triceratops as the switch operator, to name a few.

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