Mamasaurus
Written and Illustrated by Stephan Lomp
Chronicle Books  4/01/2016
978-1-4521-4424-5
32 pages    Ages 3—5

“Babysaurus is looking for his Mamasaurus, and he turns to his prehistoric friends to help find her. Is his Mamasaurus the fastest in the jungle? No. Is she the loudest? No. Is she the best flyer? No! Where can his Mamasaurus be?

“Of course, Mamasaurus has been right there all along, ready with a big hug and a sweet, leafy snack. Because for Babysaurus, his Mamasaurus is the best mama in the whole jungle! ” [inside jacket]

Review
Babysaurus loves to sit high on his Mamasaurus’ back where he can reach the leafy greens off the trees. On this particular day, Babysaurus slides down the tip of Mamasaurus’ tail, flying high into the sky—

“Wheeeeeee!”

He then landed in a big pile of prehistoric leaves.

“Omph!”

The baby brontosaurus could no longer see his Mamasaurus. How far had he traveled? Where could she be? Where is he? Ornito, one of Babysaurus’ baby-dinosaur friends, runs by. He calls out to his friend and asks if she’s seen his mama.

“Does she run faster than the wind like my mama?”

No, Babysaurus’ mama is not very fast. Even so, Ornito has not seen Mamasaurus. Babysaurus roams the jungle until he runs into Tritopa. She has not seen Mamasaurus either, nor has Hespero or Ptero—whose mama flies high into the sky thanks to her large wingspan. None of Babysaurus’ friends has seen his mama. Where could she be?

Mamasaurus is the classical story of a child roaming away from his or her mother and getting lost in the crowd, or in this case, the prehistoric jungle. Babysaurus roams the jungle, looking for his mama. While speaking with each of his friends, we learn a lot about Mamasaurus. She can’t run fast, but can take huge steps. Mamasaurus does not have a long horn, but does have a long neck. And, while Mamasaurus cannot fly high into the sky, she “is taller than the tallest tree.” Along the way, Babysaurus learns to appreciate his mama.

Kids love dragons and dinosaurs, and will love this mother-son dinosaur family. Mamasaurus is a fun read aloud. One creature Babysaurus happens upon is Rexy, a little brute of a T-Rex who sneers down upon the little Babysaurus. This is supposed to be the danger spread, but it fails to cause a real uprising. Instead, Rexy displays a dislike of leafy snacks and then runs away in a flash when Mamasaurus, with a smile upon her face, reappears. To work, Mamasaurus needs to seem menacing to Rexy, which is not the message the author or publisher want to deliver. This climatic sequence feels forced. Originally, Rexy towered over Babysaurus in a very threatening, teeth-baring manner, but the spread was replaced with the gentler I-would-never-eat-leaves “bully.”

Still, Mamasaurus will resonant with children who have been “lost’ or worried where their mother could be. Mamasaurus’ love for Babysaurus is clearly the winning theme for this picture book and the one mothers and children will appreciate. Stephan Lomp’s brush pen and digital illustrations effectively set the prehistoric jungle atmosphere with its dark green leafy background. Brightly colored baby dinosaurs pop off the page against this dark green setting, giving Mamasaurus its child-friendly feel. Mamasaurus becomes Stephan Lomp’s fourth picture book, but his first as both author and artist. Mamasaurus is also Lomp’s first America published children’s book.

Next Up for Stephan Lomp: Papasaurus

MAMASAURUS. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Stephan Lomp. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

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Find Mamasaurus on Goodreads HERE.

Stephan Lomp:  http://www.lomp.de/
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Chronicle Books:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/
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Reprinted with permission from MAMASAURUS © 2016 by Stephan Lomp, Chronicle Books, Illustrations © 2016 by Stephan Lomp.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Mamasaurus by Stephan Lomp, and received from Chronicle Books, is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Mamasaurus by Stephan Lomp
Chronicle Books 4/01/2016
9781452144245