BUYING, TRAINING AND CARING FOR YOUR DINOSAUR by Laura Joy Rennert, illustrated by Marc Brown  EVENTS! Now available! Read praise here! Dogs are delightful. Cats are cute. Fish are fun. But the best pet of all is... a DINOSAUR. Hmm, but what kind of dino should you choose? Spiky, armored, humongous, pea-brained, plant-eater? How do you take care of him once he's (gulp) home? How do you feed him, exercise him, take him to the vet, and give him a bath? Not to mention train him, since he might like to chew on—er, swallow—Mom's new shoes. Full of little-known info and sage advice, here's the definitive guide to dino ownership for kids everywhere! ...BATHING YOUR DINO Dress in clothes that you can get wet. VERY WET. Have A LOT of soap, sponges, towels, and friends on hand. Especially since dinos can be VERY ticklish. Some moms get unhappy when bathwater runs out of the bathtub. Into the hall. And down the stairs. If this sounds like your mom, take Dino to the car wash instead. BUY THE BOOK: IndieBound Amazon Barnes & Noble Borders Books-A-Million Random House BUYING, TRAINING AND CARING FOR YOUR DINOSAUR Knopf Books for Young Readers, October 2009, ISBN: 978-0375836794   PRAISE "This starter guide will come in handy, whether kids are in the market for a new fantasy pet or just a fun read-aloud. ...Youngsters will quickly become absorbed in this enjoyable mix of facts, fantasy, and fossils."    —Booklist (read the full review) "From dino descriptions to basic commands—"STAY (Ha!)"—to exercising your dino and taking it to school, it's a cheery descendant of Bernard Most's classic If the Dinosaurs Came Back (1978)."    —Kirkus Review (read the full review) "The opening spread, filled with smiling dinosaurs and children's faces, sets the tone for this tongue-in-cheek guide .... [Marc] Brown helps the cause with vivid monoprint with gouache artwork—some of his best illustrations to date. His overly enthusiastic, sweet-faced, humongous patterned dinosaurs are—in defiance of natural history—irresistibly delicious."    —School Library Journal (read the full review) "Kids love dinosaurs. Yet with 16,000 dinosaur books already on the market, is there any need for a new one? Yep, when it's as clever and eye-poppingly colorful as this, by Palo Alto author Laura Rennert, illustrated by Marc Brown ("Arthur").    —Debbie Duncan, Palo Alto Weekly (read the full review) Season's Readings: Books bring joy long after the tinsel is gone: "Most kids love dinosaurs and probably have at least one serious guidebook on the various types of dinos. This "owner's manual," with illustrations by Marc Brown (the "Arthur" series), takes a sillier approach, with tips on how to select the right dinosaur for your household and then how to best to train it ("No, you may not give your T. rex your little brother as a treat")."    —Carla Carlton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky, Southern Indiana) "The warm, witty Buying, Training & Caring for Your Dinosaur (Knopf Delacorte Dell; $16.99) apes a training manual for kids who have a new "little" friend as a pet. A triceratop's horns come in handy for cutting the cake at birthday parties, author Laura Joy Rennert advises, and obedience school is a must for your new T. rex. Rennert mixes in dino lore with her fanciful instructions ... making this a little more substantial than just a literary lark."    —Sharyn Vane, Austin American-Statesman (read the full review) "Written as a faux guidebook to having a dinosaur as a pet, "Buying, Training & Caring for Your Dinosaur" is fresh, fun and full of kid appeal. Laura Joy Rennert opens the story with an inviting welcome to children: "There is a dino for every kid, and a kid for every dino. This guide will help you discover the right one for you." Imaginations will run wild as children think about the many essentials involved in owning and caring for a dinosaur..."    —The Edmond Sun (read the full review) You won't find her in the book but here is the ferocious (okay, maybe not) Chihuahuasaurus! *download this image*