Lulu and the Brontosaurus

“The pinheaded brontosaurus is irresistible and reminiscent of Syd Hoff‘s beloved dinosaur from the Danny and the Dinosaur series. This inventive, lighthearted fantasy should be a solid hit with young readers.” —School Library Journal

“Lulu is demanding a brontosaurus for her birthday, and after a 13-day standoff, she marches into the woods and finds one for herself. There’s only one problem: the brontosaurus wants Lulu as his pet. It’s a setup ripe for she-deserves-it guffaws…The swift shifts in plot make the story feel less than surefooted, but that’s also part of its charm; Viorst sprinkles the tale with daffy authorial intrusions, from asides (“Okay, so snakes don’t talk. But in my story, they do”) to three different ending options. The way Lulu’s behavior models that of a new pet—shouting, whining, fleeing—is quite clever, and perceptive kids will enjoy being in on the joke.” —Booklist

“Viorst, better known within the children's-book world for picture books than novels, flexes her muscles and introduces readers to delightfully obnoxious, fit-throwing Lulu, a spoiled only child prone to indulging in over-the-top temper tantrums to get what she wants…Readers follow Lulu as she heads into the woods, faces off with some ferocious animals and finally finds the brontosaurus, who decides he’d rather have Lulu as his pet than be hers!…Dinosaurs, it turns out, are fond of good manners. The glib narrator provides not one but three endings for readers to choose from. Even so, they still won’t have had enough of Lulu. Pitch perfect for the beginning chapter-book crowd.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred reviews)