by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 02, 2010

It's a rootin' tootin' book about a cowboy who rides dinosaurs. "Howdy, kids!" the book begins, spelling out the name Buck Bronco (with big orange letters in a stitched-denim font). He'll share the secret for riding dinosaurs, he promises. But he'll also tell the story of how he first met them!

The cowoby discovered some strange-looking eggs in his back field, and "I was surely surprised when they began to hatch." There's a funny picture of the cowboy desperately reading "Dinosaurs A to Z" - while he fends off an orange baby dinosaur - and a green baby dinosaur! "I had to do some quick-time learnin'..." he explains. "And today I'm called a leadin' authority on dinosaurs."

Ridiculous? Sure! And an excuse for some very wacky drawings.  Illustrator George McClements is also the story's author, and he's obviously enjoying the chance to draw both dinosaurs and cowboys - along with writing up an over-sized cowboy dialect. "Now let's stop all this tongue waggin' and git to ridin'!" Buck Bronco announces. And then McClements draws his stable - which is filled with the smiling heads of nine dinosaurs...

There's two bright blue brontosauruses, and there's even one dinosaur that's pink! The drawings are colorful but simple, almost like a collage made from construction paper cut-outs.  But everyone's got an excited smile - not just Buck Bronco, but also his dinosaurs. They peek their friendly heads over red half-doors in the stable - labeled Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. And then Buck delivers some dinosaur information which is true and actually useful.

If you're going to ride a dinosaur, you'll want to know whether it's a biped or a quadruped. (Bipeds are speedier, Buck explains, though riding a quadruped dinosaur is much more comfortable...) And if anyone reading the book is a vegetarian, Buck suggests, they might be more comfortable riding on an herbivore.  And then after that, for good measure, Buck also identifies the parts of a saddle.

Amazingly, there's real information in this ridiculous book as it identifies the different gaits a rider can use for his horse - er, dinosaur. It's a funny premise, but it takes a weird turn during the saddling process.  Buck warns riders to be careful with step three if they're riding a carnivorous dinosaur - illustrating this by simply showing that the dinosaur can turn its head towards the saddle. And you might need a ladder to mount your kentrosaurus - since its back is covered with spikes.

"Dinosaurs come in so many shapes and sizes. I'm sure you'll find one to match yer personality."

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