Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

The winning team behind <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">I Stink! and <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">I'm Dirty! trade garbage trucks and bulldozers for another machine-size marauder: a green-and-blue T. rex with an attitude. “Are you bad?” taunts the Tyrannosaur, uncannily eye-to-eye with the audience. “I'm really bad... Got rip-'em-up claws. Got bite-'em-up fangs. Bad breath? Yeaaahhhhhhh.” At first, the T. rex fills the full-bleed, tropical spreads in a riot of orange, purple and yellow. A proud bully, he shows off “a swivel neck for watchin' my back,” then whips around to confront the reader again: “Did you just call me Baby Arms? Long as yours, pal.” Despite his posturing, this T. rex is a little defensive, and although he stalks prey, he never catches anything. When he throws a weepy tantrum (“I need chow right now... owowow”), a vertical gatefold pictures a much larger T. rex towering over him. “Mom?! I wasn't crying,” he chirps as she supplies a dead lizard (“Awright—takeout!”). The McMullans play their cards just right—kids will love the joke of the tough guy who still needs his mother. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

PreS-Gr 2 What could possibly equal the McMullans' audacious garbage truck in I Stink! (2002) and the brazen backhoe in I'm Dirty! (2006, both HarperCollins) for unadulterated attitude? Why, a towering, tough-talking T. rex, of course, complete with "rip-'em-up CLAWS," "bite-'em-up FANGS," and "Bad breath." (And don't even think of making fun of its "baby arms.") This creature is really big, "6-tons-of-MUSCLE-on-the-hustle BIG," with a "BIG empty belly growling for GRUB." Despite the beast's bravado, however, its attempts at catching prey are repeatedlyand hilariouslyfoiled. The predator's state of mind moves from arrogance to despair on a wonderfully illustrated psychedelic spread awhirl with forest foliage and easy-to-spot edible critters that the frustrated T. rex can smell but can't find. As the great hunter lies on its back having a tantrum, a vertical fold-out page is lifted to reveal the reptile's even bigger mother, who provides a bit of "takeout" for her grateful child. Vibrant artwork done in bold shades of green, orange, and violet equal the swaggering text in tone, energy, and humor. Whether devoured during a boisterous storytime or consumed independently, children will eat this one up. Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

ALA Booklist (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Like the bragging, swaggering vehicles in the authors' previous titles, such as I Stink! (2004), the tyrannosaurus narrator of this picture book is all boasts: "I'm REALLY bad. Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs BAD." After showing off his mighty features, somewhat defensively ("Did you just call me BABY ARMS? Long as yours, pal times stronger"), the dino hunts unsuccessfully for a meal, and his bluster wears thin: "Am I ever gonna eat again? There's gotta be food in the forest . . ." There is. And it comes from Mom, who appears in a dramatic fold-out page that shows her towering size, amplifying the surprise that the dinosaur speaker is a pint-size youngster. As in I Stink! the high-energy illustrations and macho narrator's words create a rowdy, crowd-pleasing whole. Children will delight in the dinosaur's wild expressions and the dynamic text, filled with comic-book sound effects. Pair this with David Ezra Stein's Monster Hug (2007), which includes a similar transformation of hulking monster into cuddly kid.

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

In her third book, Cara is on a quest to visit the centaurs, while her father tries to free her mother from the Rainbow Prison. Frustratingly little is revealed about the mysterious side characters or subplots, leaving much open for the next book. Rich in unicorn mythology, the series will continue to entice high-fantasy genre fans.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>"Are you BAD? / I'm REALLY bad. / Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs / BAD." This T. rex has bad breath, a swivel neck and "triple-digit, / kick-a-whomper / STOMPERS." After checking off a few more of his stats, he admits he's very hungry. He chases flyers but they get away. He can't catch the runners; they're too fast. Even the little fuzzies escape. He sees a triceratops on the hoof, but it has backup. This big baddie is going to starve! Flip up that gatefold . . . and there's his mom with some dino "takeout." The formula isn't new, but here McMullans have not only added an alliterative, rhythmic gem to their list of crowd-pleasers, they've also created an endearingly flawed character in this dino, who's sure to please any thunder-lizard lover. From the bright, heavy-lined watercolors to the braggadocio kids will revel in, this is an easy choice for multiple-copy purchases. (Picture book. 3-8)</p>