Mrs. Toggle & the Dinosaur - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- The endearing set of characters first introduced in Mrs. Toggle's Zipper (Four Winds, 1990) appear once again. Teacher Mrs. Toggle, Mr. Abel the custodian, Mr. Paige the librarian, and a class full of ethnically diverse children all prepare for the arrival of a new student, a dinosaur. The children research the habits of dinosaurs, the custodian builds a special desk, and the school cook promises to provide an appropriate lunch as soon as she finds out whether it's a meat-eater or a vegetarian. But Mrs. Toggle is still perplexed as to how she will fit the newcomer into her class until the principal, whose phone call she has misunderstood, shows up with the new pupil, a little girl named Dina Sawyer. Alley's cartoon drawings, reminiscent of Lillian Hoban's illustrations for Miriam Cohen's school stories, are colorful, expressive, and full of action. Children will enjoy the fun of such a mix-up; teachers will pick up on the tongue-in-cheek humor.
- Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When the principal tells Mrs. Toggle that her new student will be a dinosaur, she is taken aback but doesn't doubt his word--Mr. Stickler never jokes. Mrs. Toggle and her wide-eyed class start to get ready: they'll need a big desk and another reptile to keep the dinosaur company; the cafeteria should be warned. As the avid class troops from library to kitchen, doing research and making plans, a green diplodocus grows in their imaginations--and in Alley's engaging cartoon-style illustrations, which deftly capture the kids' waxing enthusiasm. Then the new girl arrives: Dina Sawyer. Though the dinosaur fades out of the picture, the children have enjoyed some unusually well-motivated research and considered the meaning of welcome in a unique context. A fine sequel to the equally delightful Mrs. Toggle's Zipper (1990). (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.