leslie_d's review against another edition
3.0
When asked if they could keep the dinosaur, the father, Dr. Lazardo says, “I don’t see why not.” Bob (named after Mrs. Lazardo’s Uncle, whom the dinosaur bears some resemblance) joins them on the rest of their vacation before returning home to Pimlico Hills where a “pea-green” (with jealousy) Mrs. DeGlumly bullies her husband the Mayor into declaring Bob a menace. The “Lazardos and Lizard [go] on the Lam” but they are homesick. And the Pimlico Pirates could sure use Bob on their baseball team, seeing Bob as their only hope for even coming close to winning a game.
I’m not sure where the “additional adventure” comes in as I am unfamiliar with the earlier edition. There are a number of small ones in sequence as they vacation and return home, each in company of a charming illustration. The Lazardos are fun and creative, adventurous and homebodies. And clever and privileged enough to manage anything. If you have no boundaries, “I don’t see why not…”
What is so lovable about William Joyce’s picture books is how nothing seems impossible. Still minding the scale of a dinosaur, the adventures are portrayed as manageable, if not made all the better for Bob’s company. He is better than a family pet, able to play cards, baseball, the trumpet, and “Hokey Pokey like a fool.” The family, the dinosaur, the people they encounter (minus Mrs. DeGlumly) are appealing. Better, the sheer imagination Joyce imparts is infectious. What else could Bob do or the family do with Bob on an adventure? What kind of adventure would you like to go on at home or abroad?
Having more William Joyce illustrations must be a marvel. I love looking at them (in any of his work). His illustrations are just beautiful. Family Lazardo look like early-mid 20th century adventurers and many of the images look like travel posters or postcards—perfect for the story. Bob is a fantastic green hue, vivid and remarkable against the softer earth tones. Dinosaur Bob really is bigger than life—which is saying quite a bit because the Lazardo Family live a pretty big life.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/book-dinosaur-bob/
I’m not sure where the “additional adventure” comes in as I am unfamiliar with the earlier edition. There are a number of small ones in sequence as they vacation and return home, each in company of a charming illustration. The Lazardos are fun and creative, adventurous and homebodies. And clever and privileged enough to manage anything. If you have no boundaries, “I don’t see why not…”
What is so lovable about William Joyce’s picture books is how nothing seems impossible. Still minding the scale of a dinosaur, the adventures are portrayed as manageable, if not made all the better for Bob’s company. He is better than a family pet, able to play cards, baseball, the trumpet, and “Hokey Pokey like a fool.” The family, the dinosaur, the people they encounter (minus Mrs. DeGlumly) are appealing. Better, the sheer imagination Joyce imparts is infectious. What else could Bob do or the family do with Bob on an adventure? What kind of adventure would you like to go on at home or abroad?
Having more William Joyce illustrations must be a marvel. I love looking at them (in any of his work). His illustrations are just beautiful. Family Lazardo look like early-mid 20th century adventurers and many of the images look like travel posters or postcards—perfect for the story. Bob is a fantastic green hue, vivid and remarkable against the softer earth tones. Dinosaur Bob really is bigger than life—which is saying quite a bit because the Lazardo Family live a pretty big life.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/book-dinosaur-bob/
cmbohn's review against another edition
5.0
The Lazardos are not your typical family. So it follows that they require no typical pet. Enter Bob. They find him on safari in Africa and decide that he needs a good home. I love this story of a baseball playing dinosaur and the free-spirited family who take him in. By the writer of George Shrinks. The families are very similar in spirit. Such a great book!
calistareads's review against another edition
3.0
This is an earlier story by William. Bob is a dinosaur that a family finds while traveling the world. He looks like a brontosaurus, but the book doesn’t specify. One of the best pictures is the family is in the water and the parents are sunning on the back of Bob while the kids are swimming in the water and diving off the head of Bob. They make their own island. It’s most amusing.
The family is very well to do and they are always doing things that can make certain people jealous, like the mayor’s wife. They remind me of Hollywood money type of people. It’s a completely silly story. William is so good at whimsical and bringing outrageous ideas to the page. This is one of his earlier stories. I thought it was fun. No attempt is made to explain how they found the dinosaur. They simply did.
The nephew thought this was a great story. He loved the monster as pet story. He liked how much attention the family gets by having him. He gave this book 5 stars. He thought it was wonderful.
The family is very well to do and they are always doing things that can make certain people jealous, like the mayor’s wife. They remind me of Hollywood money type of people. It’s a completely silly story. William is so good at whimsical and bringing outrageous ideas to the page. This is one of his earlier stories. I thought it was fun. No attempt is made to explain how they found the dinosaur. They simply did.
The nephew thought this was a great story. He loved the monster as pet story. He liked how much attention the family gets by having him. He gave this book 5 stars. He thought it was wonderful.
kesterbird's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrations are FANTASTIC. The page of Bob as a tallship? That's worth the book, all on its own. The story is fine until its climax- which was sorta not worthy of the rest of the book.
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