Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A bewitching blend of fantasy and realism highlights this clever rhyming tale of a girl whose imagination is sparked by a visit to the Museum of Natural History. Suddenly, she's seeing dinosaurs everywhere--on Tuesday it's a stegosaurus at the gas station, Thursday it's a triceratops near the railroad tracks and Sunday a pterodactyl flies beside her kite. Wahl's (Tailypo!) verses skip nimbly along to a gentle driving beat (""""Late on Wednesday/ out behind our shed/ I heard a rattle and a bang./ Something looking to be fed"""") that heralds spirited read-aloud sessions. The matter-of-fact manner in which the dinosaurs appear is underscored in vividly imaginative paintings. In his first picture book, Sheban overlays--as if with gauze--the slightly soft-focus scenes of bright-eyed dinosaurs commingling with everyday elements (e.g., peering out of the shadows at the museum, unseen by a stern security guard; looming over an old-fashioned gas pump; creeping through the fog past a steepled church). This slightly dreamy visual style seamlessly unites fact and fiction, giving credence to the delicious possibility that maybe, just maybe, there really are dinosaurs among us. Ages 6-10. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

K-Gr 2 Some things are timelesstake a child's fascination with dinosaurs. Since Waterhouse Hawkins first introduced the world to dinosaurs through his lifelike models, many of us have fantasized about what it would be like to be in the presence of prehistoric creatures. In this reissue of I Met A Dinosaur , a young girl's visit to see the dinosaur skeletons at the Natural History Museum has a powerful effect on her imagination. Soon, she is seeing benevolent dinosaurs everywhere in her lifea Stegosaurus wrapped around a gas station, an Iguanadon standing far out in a rainy lake, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex waving to her from behind a tree. Sheban's textured illustrations have a beautiful interplay between light and shadow that suggest an altered world where impossible events could occur. Some of the drawings even provide visual links between everyday objects (the shape of a gas station sign) and the details of a dinosaur (the plates on a Stegosaurus) that show how a child's imagination is stimulated. The final illustration has a wonderful visual symmetry plus a subtle reference to Vermeer's luminous scenes of domestic Dutch life. The simple rhyming text pairs well with the images and highlights the girl's ability to see dinosaurs, even though her parents continue to chide her gently about her overactive imagination. The final page provides some facts about each of the dinosaurs. VERDICT A great read-aloud for parents or teachers that shows the power of a child's imagination and the enduring appeal of dinosaurs.— Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

After a trip to the Museum of Natural History, a girl starts to see dinosaurs everywhere she looks, though her parents tell her she's just imagining things. Wahl's text, which often struggles to maintain its meter, is almost beside the point; the real draw is the quietly humorous pastel illustrations of lifelike dinosaurs in everyday settings. Brief information about the ten featured dinosaurs is appended.

ALA Booklist

Following a trip to a natural-history museum, a little girl begins seeing dinosaurs everywhere: at the gas station, near the railroad track, on a nearby lake. Trouble is, she's the only one who does. Girl, it's just bones, gray bones, they say. Wahl's pedestrian, rhyming text is little more than an excuse for Sheban's lavish--and occasionally witty--full-and double-page illustrations. Hardly an essential purchase, this beautifully designed book is nevertheless eye-pleasing and fun to look at. (Reviewed November 1, 1997)

Kirkus Reviews

A young girl's visit to the natural-history museum is intended to be an invitation to imagining dinosaurs everywhere— in the park, at the gas station, behind the shed, on the lake. What begins with intrigue and the promise of adventure rapidly bogs down in humdrum poetry panels paired with mismatched illustrations. The musings in the girl's mind do not always translate visually into specific types of dinosaurs. For example, it's hard to see how two electric towers become a triceratops or how a moose could be mistaken for a brontosaurus (now known as Apatosaurus). The illustrations stand alone, enticing and atmospheric on their own, but too often fail to bring readers into a visual understanding of the metamorphosis mentioned in the abstract text. Exceptions to this are the scales of a stegosaurus that form the sign for the gas station and the lumbering shape of a diplodocus that mimics treetops and rooftops in the fog. A good-looking design includes a clean layout and thoughtful composition, but the book in general does not sustain the creativity evidenced in its first and final panels. (Picture book. 4-7)"