School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Jones's signature wit shines in this picture book that features an eager and unsuspecting young lad invited to the dinosaurs' dinner party. The "Special Guest" arrives wide-eyed and bow-tied with a gift and his canine companion, whose immediately wary expressions clue readers in to the trouble afoot. Amid party games, a bouncy castle, and an overflowing buffet table, the guest of honor naively wades through the gathering, even past Chef Alfonsaurus preparing the grill outside, with nary a clue of the fate about to befall him. When T. rex lets out a terrible roar that finally scares the boy off, the boy grabs a party bag on his way out, which turns out to be something else altogether, setting the stage for the tantalizing ending that raises the question "What next?" The rhyming text falters at times, but this does not detract from the fun. The playful use of fonts and text placement add to the party atmosphere. Details in the full-color, cartoon-style illustrations provide visual hints that establish the dinosaurs' intentions and add to the age-appropriate humor of this story.-Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, Oak Bluffs, MA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
A boy is invited to the dinosaurs' party and almost becomes their dinner. Awkward rhymes detail the games, food, and long bathroom line. The story doesn't contain any real information about these dinosaurs besides their names and that they eat meat, but the bright and silly (see the dinosaurs doing the pee dance) illustrations are sure to appeal to little dino lovers' sensibilities. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A slapdash dino tale guaranteed to please some and infuriate others. When a boy and his faithful dog, both bow-tie bedecked, receive an invitation to a dinosaur soiree, they don't hesitate a jot (not even to make a close reading of the invitation that hints that they're slated to appear on the menu). Indeed, the boy has a marvelous time until it becomes clear to him that the T. Rex sees him as munchable. After grabbing a gift bag and making a quick escape, the boy and pup finally feel safeonly to find that his party favor contains a surprise of the terrible-lizard variety. Jones misses multiple opportunities to name different dino types; he could easily exchange "Compsognathus" for "the little one," for instance. Illustrator Parsons is equally culpable of slipshod craft, slipping in a wooly mammoth (which any canny 5-year-old will be quick to declare is not a dinosaur, nor even of the same era) and a Stegosaurus with the neck of an Apatosaurus. Given the missteps, it's hard to say whether the "Chef Alfonsaurus" working the grill is a joke or a misspelled Allosaurus. Though the concept has plenty of promise, this is one title that deserves a quick extinction from your shelves. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
