ALA Booklist

Brutish baby dinosaur Dinah knows how to chomp, stomp, and whomp, but she's having trouble learning how to give a kiss. Her attempts wreak havoc on the world around her, inadvertently flattening an unsuspecting fish, munching a brontosaurus tail, and gobbling a lizard. That is, until her dino sibling hatches, and she has someone her own size and temperament with whom to trade kisses (which turn out to be more like head-butts). Stein (Interrupting Chicken, 2012) makes great use of fun onomatopoeia to punctuate a prehistoric tale modern parents know all too well ildren making earnest efforts to learn a new skill only to achieve hilariously disastrous results. Despite its cuddly name, Dinosaur Kisses may be too boisterous for a bedtime book, and impressionable toddlers may take the biting story line a little too literally. But it is likely to be another rowdy story- and circle-time win for Stein, who's proving to be a master at anthropomorphizing critters with perfectly overemphatic kid-like mannerisms.

Horn Book

Newly hatched Dinah the dinosaur decides to give kissing a try. She doesn't know her own strength, though, and her puppyish attempts at affection miss their marks. Dinah finally meets her match when one of her nest-mates hatches. Stein's engaging illustrations work hand in hand with his simple, energetic text. Friendly Dinah takes center stage.

Kirkus Reviews

Chomping and stomping come naturally to an exuberant dinosaur hatchling. Kissing? That takes practice. Emerging from her egg at a run, Dinah STOMPS her fat legs and CHOMPS weeds with her sharp teeth. Kissing, though, turns out to be a challenge. After sending one hapless victim flying with a head butt and another inadvertently down the hatch ("Whoops," she says. "Not good"), she returns to the hatchery…just in time to welcome a new sib with kisses--the sort that involve chomping, stomping and delighted head butts ("WHOMP!"). Drawn in thick outlines with a huge grin, wide eyes and a mottled yellow hide, Dinah stumps her way through minimally detailed prehistoric landscapes populated with anxious-looking smaller creatures. Children who groove on wimpy little butterfly kisses had best look elsewhere. A kissing cousin to Bob Shea's Dinosaur vs.… series. (Picture book. 3-5)

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

Chomp! Stomp! Whomp! Dinah is a wide-eyed, speckled baby dinosaur who wants to try everything, but finesse is not her strong point. She has stubby legs, an eager smile, and a matchless set of jaws. When two tiny creatures kiss each other at Dinah-s feet, Dinah wants to try, too. Her first victim gets a bite on the rear, the next one is flattened by her big dinosaur stompers, and the third gets... eaten. -Whoops,- says Dinah. -Not good.- Only when another baby dinosaur appears does Dinah find a playmate whose life she won-t endanger. -What-s kiss?- the other dinosaur asks, and the two explore affection-rather violently. Stein (Ol- Mama Squirrel) draws Dinah with a simple, cookie-cutter outline, but her stricken expressions and forthright pursuit of love are plenty complex. Dinah-s swampy world features a sulfurous yellow sky and pint-size volcanoes that explode quietly in the distance. Kids will plunge into the whomping and chomping with glee, and they-ll understand a hero who means to be careful, but who ends up stomping all over things anyway. Ages 2-5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

PreS-K Dinah, a baby dinosaur, is just out of her egg and ready to explore her green, swampy home. She learns to walk (stomp!) and to eat (chomp!), but the next thing Dinah sees (a kiss) she has to learn more about. She stomps all over looking for a special someone to kiss, making unsuccessful and funny attempts along the way. A fishlike creature gets a "whomp!" a dinosaur gets a "chomp!" and a reptilian critter gets a "stomp!" Realizing that she must pucker up politely to get her elusive kiss, Dinah finds her next would-be smooch, but she accidentally eats him. Finally, she befriends another baby dinosaur, and the two noisy buddies chomp, stomp, and whomp kisses to their hearts' content. Kids will love the cheeky but thoughtful expressions on Dinah's face, and the bottom-bitten dinosaur is sure to bring gleeful chuckles. Rendered in pen-and-ink, charcoal, watercolor, and crayon, the illustrations are bold, simple, and humorous. Dinah's big, goofy smile is sure to be reflected in the faces of her young admirers. Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL