Rock-a-Bye, Dino

A commendable variety of dinosaur species rock their young ones to sleep with dino-themed text set to the classic nursery rhyme and lullaby, “Rock-a-bye Baby.” Each dinosaur family included in the bedtime book displays a different getting-ready-for-bed task, such as cleaning up, reading a book, and being tucked in. However, the tasks aren’t presented in order, creating a confusing compilation of bedtime routines paired with the repetitive notion of different ways to say goodnight. The illustrations, while colorful and fun as they portray the dinosaur species in a playful way, are ultimately forgettable. The dinosaur names are sometimes cleverly rhymed, as in the case of “Iguanodon / yawn” while other instances are just near rhymes, such as “Pterodactyl / bill.” The cadence of the text is left lacking, as the dino version presented doesn’t flawlessly fit the classic lullaby tune, especially throughout the dinosaur names. A little more refinement in the syllable count would have gone a long way to strengthening the musical nature of this bedtime book and creating a more feasible bedtime read, though dinosaur lovers are sure to still chomp this story up after taking a little time to perfect the song.