Dino-Zombies!

by Rick Chrustowski, Rick Chrustowski (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate Halloween with the dino-zombies as they stomp and chomp through the streets on their quest for candy!

In this rhyming story designed to engage early readers, charming characters combine with simple text, lively illustrations, and laugh-out-loud humor to help boost kids' confidence and create lifelong readers!

Dino-zombies—that's right, real dinosaur zombies—are on the hunt. But don't worry, there's no need to be scared. Just join the creepy crew as they trick-or-treat to collect and consume all the candy they can!

Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593224762
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/10/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	936,854
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.32(d)
Lexile:	440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Growing up, Rick Chrustowski (he/him) drew all the time. He drew on the floor of his room, in front of the TV, and at the kitchen table. In second grade, his parents gave him a drawing table, which he has used ever since. When Rick learned how to write stories in third grade, he realized that putting words and pictures together was his favorite art form. Rick has written and illustrated several picture books about the natural world, including Bright Beetle, Big Brown Bat, Turtle Crossing, and My Little Fox. Now he is focused on the not-so-natural world with his creepy but lovable characters in Dino-Zombies! When Rick is not making books, he travels across the country visiting schools and helping kids write and illustrate their own books. He lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR DINO-ZOMBIES!

"The combination of spare text, chunky font, and playfully spooky critters with yellow glowing eyes make this a treat for early readers stimulated by the sugary holiday’s fun." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2021-07-14
Trick-or-treating dino-zombies get their fill of Halloween candy and fun.

“On Halloween they come alive, / and they need sugar to survive,” and so the undead rise. There’s a zombie-dactyl, a bronto-zombie, and of course, a zombie-saurus rex, among others. They are all wearing costumes, their gaping abdominal cavities and open ribcages exposing a hoard of sweets. After trick-or-treating and hitting a festive party, they head home for their jammies and a movie. In Chrustowski’s hands, these are approachable, even cute dino-zombies, drawn in bright greens and purples, with yellow bug eyes and friendly grins, nothing too gory or scary. The rhyming text bounces along, matching the joyful spirit of the chomping dino-zombies. Readers will enjoy looking over the illustrations for fun details, like the zombie-raptor that pulls an entire pumpkinful of treats from the spino-zombie’s insides, later leaving the party with three pumpkins swinging from its tail. There’s even the all-black silhouette of a bat or two and buzzing flies to find on each layout. Kids will love how the dino-zombies consume their treats with abandon, and adults will secretly smile about their own tired trick-or-treating zombies that they tuck into bed on Halloween night. It’s all good, predictable fun. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This story about the extinct undead really comes alive. (Early reader. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

07/26/2021

Forget brains—dino-zombies need sugar to survive, and Halloween night is the perfect time to fuel up. Chrustowski’s boldly hued crew, crisply outlined in black, don their costumes and stomp through the streets amassing loads of candy. “Zombie-raptor!/... Zombie-saurus rex!/ Ding-dong, ROAR! Ding-dong, ROAR!/ They’re the candy-saurus wrecks!” The dino-zombies—whose bones protrude from their meaty bulk—hit pay dirt at the neighborhood costume party (“Candy bars and popcorn balls!/ Dino-zombies chomp them all!”) and even take home first prize for their impressive getups. And once “they’re crashing from the sugar rush,” the dino-zombies are soon quiet and comfy at home in their “fuzzy jammies.” The combination of spare text, chunky font, and playfully spooky critters with yellow glowing eyes make this a treat for early readers stimulated by the sugary holiday’s fun. Ages 6–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly