When many people think of Disney, they rightfully think of all the imagination that the theme parks and films contain. However, the company’s publishing arm (Disney-Hyperion) is also well-versed in bringing creative and fun stories to life, including one of their latest releases, Cookiesaurus Rex. In fact, this particular tale inspired my little dude to do some decorating of his own.
Hot from the oven, the Cookiesaurus Rex declares himself king of the cookie sheet and therefore the first cookie to be decorated. However, once he sees the sprinkles, colors and details his fellow cookies receive Cookiesaurus Rex sassy side takes over and he demands a do-over. Throughout the rest of the book, we are treated to a series of delightful missteps as Cookiesaurus Rex undergoes many redecorations that fail to satisfy his desire to command the spotlight on the cookie sheet.
We enjoyed the humor of Cookiesaurus Rex, especially its conclusion. The book is a fun read-aloud for ages 3 to 6 — even my 8-year-old enjoyed the silliness when we read it together. Since most of the text is dialogue between Cookiesaurus Rex and the unseen decorator, we could explore using different voice styles for the read.
The brightly colored, fun illustrations by AG Ford keep younger readers engaged. I felt it could be a nice book for an older child who is still a relatively new reader to share with younger — thanks to the word to illustration ratio — even with a new reader’s slower pace the younger has plenty to look at on each page.
Just as Cookiesaurus Rex eventually takes the decorating into his hands with sugary sweet results, this new book is sure to ignite little baker’s imaginations.