Boo's Surprise

by Betsy Byars, Erik Brooks (Illustrator)

Overview

"A dinosaur! A new dinosaur!" Boo shouted. "This dinosaur left me a big surprise."

Boo is excited to receive a giant egg—and to find out what's inside! Her brother, Sammy, is not—but he is still willing to help her after the egg hatches into a lovable baby dinosaur. Is it all Boo's imagination or not? The youngest chapter book reader will want to find out in this wonderfully imaginative sequel to Boo's Dinosaur.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429963695
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	08/04/2009
Series:	Boo's Dinosaur
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

BETSY BYARS, a Newbery Medalist, has written beginning readers such as The Golly Sisters, chapter books such as the bestselling Tornado, and novels such as Summer of the Swans and The Pinballs. She and her husband live in South Carolina.

ERIK BROOKS is the illustrator of Boo's Dinosaur and Shirley Climo's Monkey Business. He is also the author and illustrator of Slow Days, Fast Friends, among others. Erik lives in Winthrop,Washington, with his family.

Betsy Byars (1928-2020) is the author of many award-winning and popular books for children, including The Seven Treasure Haunts, Tornado and the Boo's Dinosaur series. Ms. Byars was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1971 for The Summer of the Swans, and the National Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. She collaborated with her daughters Laurie Myers and Betsy Duffey on a number of books, including My Dog, My Hero and The SOS File. She lived in South Carolina.
Erik Brooks has illustrated, as well as written, a number of books for children, including Polar Opposites and The Practically Perfect Pajamas. He, his wife and daughter, and their dog, Max, live in north central Washington State.

Read an Excerpt

BOO'S SURPRISE

1
The Surprise
Boo ran into the house. "A dinosaur! A new dinosaur!" she shouted.
"Not another one," her brother, Sammy, said.
"Sammy, this was so exciting," Boo said. "I was sitting in the tree reading a book."
"That was exciting--reading a book in a tree? I do that all the time."
"I'm getting to the exciting part," said Boo. "I was reading my book, and I heard a very, very heavy thump behind the trees."
"Something was behind the trees?"
"Yes, and I knew it was a dinosaur because the thump was very, very loud. I have heard dinosaurs thump like that before."
"So you went behind the trees and there it was. Big deal," said Sammy.
"No! Wait! I haven't gotten to the exciting part. I climbed down the tree as fast as I could. Then I ran through the trees as fast as I could," said Boo.
"And there it was," said Sammy.
"No! It was gone. Now I'm getting to the exciting part."
"Please do."
"This dinosaur left me a big surprise."
"What?"
"A giant egg!"
Text copyright © 2009 by Betsy Byars Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Erik Brooks

Editorial Reviews

Boo's imagination continues full force in this gentle sequel to Boo's Dinosaur (2006). Boo styles herself the "luckiest girl in the world" when she discovers a spotted egg hatching in her yard. She and her dinosaur develop a rich friendship, jumping rope, playing hopscotch and pretending to be cowboys together. Her upbeat voice depicts her supportive friendship with her playmate: "He has wings. He just doesn't know how to use them yet." With her magic cape held tight, Boo teaches him how to fly, and he soars away, leaving behind a memento for Boo and her older brother to share. Convincing family relationships enhance Boo's experiences; child-centered dialogue abets the taut pacing. Engaging double-page drawings extend the text with humor and warmth. Brooks's illustrations vary shading to depict the fully realized characters. The dinosaur's dynamic expressions provide a warm immediacy to the engaging plot, and Boo's bouncy pigtails convey her youthful exuberance. The successful balance between fantasy and realism creates a satisfying chapter-book selection. (Fantasy. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

“Convincing family relationships enhance Boo's experiences; child-centered dialogue abets the taut pacing. Engaging double-page drawings extend the text with humor and warmth. Brooks's illustrations vary shading to depict the fully realized characters. The dinosaur's dynamic expressions provide a warm immediacy to the engaging plot, and Boo's bouncy pigtails convey her youthful exuberance. The successful balance between fantasy and realism creates a satisfying chapter-book selection.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Lots of fun for sharing and reading aloud.” —Booklist

From the Publisher