I love dinosaurs, though I’m currently having an argument with a three-year-old in my neighborhood over which prehistoric creatures count as dinosaurs and which do not.
I therefore had high hopes for The Treasure of the Dinosaurs, a 2024 picture book by Alicia Acosta. (2024 in Spanish; 2025 in English.)
These were kind of disappointed. You see, a pirate ship led by Little Captain Jack sailed in search of “the treasure of the dinosaurs” (bold in the original) that gives the book its name. Once they land and start exploring, their small captain falls in a hole, which turns out to be a footprint left by a rather large dinosaur. They’re chased by a T Rex, and the captain is picked up by a pterodactyl (a good example of something I want to call a dinosaur, but which my young neighbor would object to). He parachutes onto the dubious safety of a brachiosaurus…who swallows him and then poops him out.
The T Rex returns, and they pirates learn that the reason he’s so grumpy is he’s got something stuck in his teeth, which may be the cause of his nasty breath. The captain creeps into his mouth to remove a painful splinter. The T Rex first licks the captain in gratitude, then rewards him with the treasure of the dinosaurs.
That would be the end, except that the pirates return from time to time to give the dinosaurs dental care.
Monica Carretero’s illustrations are colorful and fun, and there are moments that may cause the kids to laugh, like the dung beetles enjoying dino dung.
However, overall, it never caught fire for me. Why would pirates be so nice? Why would dinosaurs (who are in pain) not snap their mouths shut and eat the helpful pirates? How do they know to (essentially) pay the pirates for the tooth cleaning?
