Dinosaurs ROAR, Butterflies SOAR! by Bob Barner

Dinosaurs ROAR, Butterflies SOAR! by Bob Barner
Geared Towards: Ages 4-8
Published By: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: April 2009 (COMING SOON!)
ISBN: 978-0-8118-5663-8

I simply adore Bob Barner's illustrations, and have since the very first time I laid eyes on one of his books. It's not that they're overly detailed, but their amazingly bright, bold, and eye catching in a very unoverworked way. I'd say that even if a person wasn't drawn in by the actual story he'd still be thoroughly transfixed by the illustrations in one of Barner's books. They're that powerful.

It is the same with his upcoming release from Chronicle Books, Dinosaurs ROAR, Butterflies SOAR! In this story of Earth's prehistoric days, Barner shows how something as small and tender as the butterfly could manage to not only live alongside the dinosaurs but also enhance their way of life. Adding to the already exceptional beauty of nature, butterflies aided in the growth of vegetation by carrying pollen from one blossom to another. In doing so the planet was changed for the better. There was more air and more food first for the dinosaurs, and then for all the other creatures that have come to exist, humans included, since the butterfly first fluttered on to the scene.

This was a very pretty book, yet in my personal opinion this was not Barner's strongest story. To be perfectly honest it was just okay for me- even kind of boring. There were no aspects that really gripped me or made me want to read the story again. I did think it a wise decision on the author's behalf to include the sub text that came outside the story. These additional segments went a bit deeper with the facts and seemed to have more substance. Perhaps that was the author's intent and how he intended to appeal to both the younger ages (4-6) and the older ages (7-8) with this book. If that's the case though I think he should have stuck with focusing on the older age group, because truly neither my 3 or 5 year old had any interest in this story outside of the vivid pastel and paper illustrations. Even the fun fact section at the back of the book seemed geared mostly towards the older age bracket.

One last thing... I want to say that I believe Barner is an exceptionally talented author and illustrator. I was somewhat disappointed by this particular book, but I'm eager to see what he will come up with next.

OUR RATING: 3 hearts