If I Had a Raptor by George O’Connor
If I Had a Raptor by George O’Connor is reviewed today by Rita Zobayan
Let’s face it, kids love pets: dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, even snakes and lizards. But raptors? You’d better believe it! In If I Had a Raptor by George O’Connor, (Candlewick Press, 2014 $15.99; Ages 3-7), a young girl brings home a “teensy and tiny and funny and fluffy” dinosaur. Never mind that the little fluff ball, named Dinah, could grow into a carnivorous beast. Her plucky caregiver showers her with lots of love and attention, and in that oh-so-special kid rationale explains why owning a raptor would be “the best thing ever!”
A baby raptor is so teensy and tiny that she would be easy to lose. I’d give her a little bell so I could always find her. If I had a raptor, she would like to sit on my lap, and I would let her. I might even have to trim her claws a little bit now and then.
The illustrations are fun, and the facial expressions are priceless. Check out Dinah’s face when she’s caught clawing the comfy chair. When our well-meaning pet owner awakens the sleeping dinosaur to play, Dinah’s half-closed eyes and pinched nostrils look incredibly similar to those of an annoyed cat. In fact, this raptor might just be part cat as she likes to “bask on a sunny windowsill or snuggle on clean laundry. She would sleep all day long. She will run around like crazy all night long…she would stalk the little things that catch her eye, like birds, or bugs, or even a dust bunny.”
My young daughter loved seeing Dinah grow from a lap-dinosaur to a full-sized raptor. And she howled with laughter when finicky eater Dinah sniffs at her dino-bowl and puts her snout in the air when she disapproves of the meal.
Whether your child already has a pet or not, he/she will be convinced that a raptor is a great addition to the household.