ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Carping critics may claim that dinos do lots of things, but William toothy, towering, turquoise T. rex in Oswald's lightly brushed digital watercolors icks to just one: he ROARS. Unfortunately, after a fun weekend of scaring people waiting at a bus stop, children on a playground, and sheep in a meadow, he wakes up with a sore throat and, on doctor's orders, has to stay silent for a whole, endless week. This delights his erstwhile victims but leaves him "Down. Distraught. Depressed. Drained." The doctor's suggestion to take it easy barely lasts past the first sighting of an unwary mail carrier, and he is soon back to terrifying anyone he can sneak up on. Is he at least a little bit sorry? Nope! "Because that's what dinosaurs do." Considering William's impressive dentifrice, his frazzled human neighbors should be grateful he doesn't have more predatory habits in, for instance, Bridget Heos and T. L. McBeth's Stegothesaurus (2018). Not much for modeling socially acceptable behavior, but with all the big, hand-lettered roaring, a sure storytime favorite.

Kirkus Reviews

When a T. Rex gets a sore throat and cannot roar for one whole week, his self-control is tested.William loves to roar. But not just for the sake of making loud noise. He loves hiding, sneaking, and scaring, along with roaring. He can't help it. As the titular refrain explains: "That's what dinosaurs do." Oswald's blue-dappled, toothy dino peers out from behind bushes, frightening folks in literally hair-raising fashion (even the sheep that he scares have their wool standing on end). But when the doctor tells William he must rest his voice in order to cure his sore throat, he doesn't know how to act. He wraps a big roll of gauze around his snout and slumps through town, dejected. It's not very much fun for William, but the townspeople are ecstatic. No more roaring! No more scaring! But will William be able to keep it up? Though moments of growth are present (William does recognize that he shouldn't scare others), readers may be taken aback by the unabashedly unapologetic prehistoric creature's resistance to rehabilitation. Instead of reaching for a clever way to impart wisdom, John leans heavily on the excuse, "That's what dinosaurs do." William is a bully, with no hope of reformation.It's got witty illustrations, but it paints a pretty bleak picture for society. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Scaring people by roaring loudly at them is bad, right? Right. But William the T. rex does it anyway. In vignettes and panels that feature a faded, beachy vibe, Oswald portrays the fun William has scaring others. At a bus stop, riders are waiting politely in front of a bush when William bursts forth: -ROAR!- The bus riders jump, shocked, but the dino is clearly delighted. After a weekend of frightening folks renders William hoarse, the doctor orders no roaring. (Oswald pictures the doc peering down William-s toothy maw like Doctor De Soto; there-s a bicycle, a fishing rod, and more back there.) As William-s throat heals, a bandage around his snout, people smile and wave. No matter. When his convalescence is over, William goes right back to roaring, for -That-s what dinosaurs do!- This divertissement by the creators of The Bad Seed gleefully flouts picture book convention. Not only does William show no remorse; his misbehavior, John seems to argue, is part of his very nature. Since the protagonist-s cheerful id triumphs over his civilized superego, the story won-t do for readalouds where moral rectitude is required. But if laughter is wanted, William-s your dinosaur. Ages 4-8. Author-s and illustrator-s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (May)

School Library Journal (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

PreS-Gr 2 William roars at everyone in town, because that's what dinosaurs do. He cheerfully scares a group at the bus stop, kids at the playground, and farm animals. All that roaring leads to a sore throat and instructions from his doctor: "no more roaring for a week." William is sad but his community is grateful for the peace. A week later, William is back to his old self, happily roaring at everyone he meets. His sore throat is cured, but he didn't gain any self-awareness during his quiet time. The fed-up townspeople demand an apology, but William isn't sorry. "That's what dinosaurs do." Oswald's perfectly whimsical illustrations match John's crisp yet thoughtful pacing and send a disruptive message about the importance of self-expression juxtaposed against the needs of the community. This story can be a terrific springboard for students to talk about the impact of their actions in school or at home. But William lacks the self-reflective characteristics of the author's similarly impulsive Bad Seed character, and his story could be misconstrued as merely a celebration of individual freedom. Match this title with the more didactic Ellen Javernick's What if Everybody Did That for a two-tiered book club on social justice. Or go another way and read along with Mo Willems's extremely social Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct and Martin Waddell's The Super Hungry Dinosaur who learns that his antisocial urges can be sidelined with a good meal. VERDICT A recommended read-aloud wherever dinosaurs are popular. Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence