ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

Kids trying to avoid going as Harry or Hermione (again!) on Halloween will relate to this seasonal standout, as light as its Tyrannosaurus rex protagonist is massive. Determined to be the scariest trick-or-treater in his neighborhood, in which humans evidently live shoulder-to-shoulder with anthropomorphic dinosaurs, T. Rex frets when pals Diplodocus, Stegosaurus, and Iguanodon preempt his most frightening costume ideas. In the end, he realizes that his mouthful of long sharp pointy teeth! and generally menacing physique require no disguise to be scary. Grambling's pared-down language, mouth-tickling adjectives, and repeating words and story patterns are right on target for her audience, members of which aren't likely to mind that this most predictable of trick-or-treat reversals is somewhat overused. Davis neatly manages potential anxieties surrounding the dinos' intentions, outfitting his dinosaurs with disarming googly eyes and overbites and portraying the shrieking, fleeing human trick-or-treaters as homely and gullible. Children's sympathies will lie squarely with the reptiles to the end.

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

Large-eyed cartoon dinosaurs make this Halloween book less than threatening. Even with the help of his dinosaur friends, T. Rex can't decide on a scary trick-or-treat costume. In the end, he discovers that his own mug and pointy teeth are frightening enough--especially when he smiles. This is a lighthearted, lightweight offering.

Kirkus Reviews

Giving Davis plenty of chances to show a very toothy T. Rex sending hapless trick-or-treaters fleeing in pop-eyed terror, Grambling crafts a tale of an increasingly frustrated dino unable to settle on a sufficiently scary Halloween costume. Not that he needs the disguise; dripping, shark-like dentifrice to the fore, T. Rex not only elicits screams from the costumed children who come to the door, he even makes his vegetarian buddies Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and Iguanodon nervous. When they convince him at last just to go out as himself, T. Rex exchanges his frown for a smile—that has an even more traumatic effect on everyone. Here's a holiday tale sure to leave young audiences with toothy grins of their own. (Picture book. 6-8)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-It is Halloween night, and T. Rex cannot decide what to wear. All of his pals have taken the best and scariest costumes-ghost, witch, skeleton. He wants to be really scary, and when his friends' suggestions result in a Very Big Frown, T. Rex is convinced that he is frightening enough as is. The story is slight, yet it will satisfy young listeners. Davis has created a nonthreatening dino world with his cartoonlike line-and-watercolor illustrations. Children will enjoy poring over details in the illustrations, but the occasional sharp-eyed parent may object to the unwrapped, home-baked treats that the dinos and kids have stuffed into their treat bags. The attractive cover will make this an easy sell; all in all, it's a fun addition to Halloween collections.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.