BookDragon Blog

I admit it: I’m not much of a dinosaur fan – on the page, anyway. Far too many books starring these behemoth  beings seem to loom over my desk. That said, every once in a (long) while, I discover an irresistible prehistoric beast with a story that just melts even my cynical old heart.

Meet just-hatched baby Ankylosaurus who’s all alone in the big world. He walks into the shadow of a hungry Tyrannosaurus who greets him with “you look yummy!”

“‘I was really lonely. I was really scared,’” the little one blurts out with relief, because he’s convinced that he’s found one of his own: “‘You just called my name, didn’t you? You know my name ’cause you’re my daddy, right?’” And with that surprising assumption, a family-of-sorts is born.

Once claimed, Tyrannosaurus will do anything to protect his little guy. Yummy, for his part, eschews dangers to show his caring adoration for Daddy: “‘I can’t wait to be JUST LIKE YOU.’” The more Yummy insists on becoming like Daddy – learning how to ram, use his tail, roar like no other – the more Daddy realizes what’s best for his cuddly charge …

A multimillion bestselling, major award-winning author in his native Japan, Tatsuya Miyanishi hasn’t had much of a Stateside presence given his prodigious output. Smaller presses specializing in Japanese-into-English translations like Vertical, Inc. and now Museyon have thankfully recognized Miyanishi’s universal appeal: quirky humor, underlying soft heart, bright illustrations with no lack of goofy charm, plus – most importantly – a few unexpected twists and turns in what could have been just another predictable story. Here’s hoping for more Yummy fare indeed!

Readers: Children

Published: 2003 (Japan), 2015 (United States)