Tiny T. Rex has the littlest arms but the biggest heart. When his best friend, salmon-colored stegosaurus Pointy, has a sad day, Tiny is determined to cheer him up with a hug only his arms weren't too small to accomplish the task. Undaunted, Tiny seeks advice from his family. "Rexes are thinkers, not huggers," his father tells him and offers mathematic formulas (Tiny is unconvinced). Flower-wearing yogi Auntie Junip suggests balance and fresh cucumber juice ("That's disgusting"), Mother gives sweet but unhelpful praise, and ping-pong playing siblings Trixie and Rawrie advise practice. It's this last suggestion that Tiny heeds, attempting to hug everything from books to cacti ("I will not practice on that anymore"). But will it be enough to make Pointy smile? Irrepressible, adorable Tiny will capture hearts of all ages, while the bright, blocky monochromatic illustrations are particularly appealing for a preschool audience. It's never too early to learn to pay attention to when others are in need of kindness, and this delightful, dino-wrapped package drives the message charmingly home.

With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino's pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice ("That is disgusting"); red mom tells him that it's OK not to be able to hug ("You are tiny, but your heart is big!"), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the "tree" the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl's leg. "Now I am falling," Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. "I should not have let go." Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy's head, and the proclamation that though Rexes' hugs may be tiny, "I will do my very best because you are my very best friend" proves just the mood-lightening ticket. "Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever." Young audiences always find the "clueless grown-ups" trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny's instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea's Dinosaur Vs. series.Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)

In this series opener, tyrannosaur Tiny has a problem: his best friend, stegosaurus Pointy, is sad, and Tiny-s wee arms make it difficult to offer solace through a hug. His father suggests that math might be the solution (-Rexes are thinkers, not huggers-); his aunt, mid-yoga-pose, recommends -balance and freshly squeezed cucumber juice-; and his mother assures him that he-s good at other things. His siblings, thankfully, offer some sensible advice: -To do the impossible you must plan and practice.- Tiny embraces their approach, mapping out an elaborate strategy, training, and hugging everything from a flower to an ice cream cone to a cactus (-I will not practice on that anymore,- Tiny declares about the latter). Finally, mistaking a pterodactyl leg for a tree, Tiny ends up flying through the sky and discovers that -tiny- is all a matter of perspective. Debut author Stutzman includes plenty of dry humor in his simple sentences, which Fleck extends to great effect in comic retro scenes that recall the illustrator-s work in Tilly & Tank. Readers will root for bighearted, small-armed Tiny, making his final, -biggest- hug all the more satisfying. Ages 3-5. Author-s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator-s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Mar.)