BookDragon Blog

While this lovable series is 13-titles strong in its native Japan with over three million copies sold throughout Asia and France, more Stateside readers could use multiple doses of this dinosaur-sized delight. Even for a reptilian-averse cynic like me, Tatsuya Miyanishi’s Tyrannosaurus provides irresistible charm. As this challenging year draws to a close, we could all use a few more reminders about kindness, affection, tenderness … and, of course, love.

As in Books 1 and 2, simple, sweet illustrations presented in bright, eye-catching colors continue to showcase stories that celebrate the unbreakable bonds of family and friendship. In I Want That Love, a tiny baby Triceratops melts the heart of an aging, injured Tyrannosaurus with his open admiration and genuine care – even sharing the cranky old beast with his little friends. Their innocent hugs assuage Tyrannosaurus’ wounds, inspiring new resilience when his new charges are suddenly attacked. Years later, the Triceratops who now has babies of his own, will remember well the courage of his long-ago behemoth protector.

A Maiasaura family takes center page in I Will Love You Forever, when a lone egg is found in the forest after a storm. Mother Maiasaura takes the egg home, protects and nurtures it with her own egg, until both children are born. The baby Maiasaura she names Light because he’s always happy and cheerful; the baby Tyrannosaurus she calls “Heart,” hoping he will be as kind as he is strong and powerful. The brothers grow, equally beloved in their mother’s eyes. When Heart meets another of his own kind, the misunderstandings are many … but one thing will remain unwaveringly true: “I will love you forever. Always and forever.”

Although the series originated over a decade ago in Japan, the titles seem presciently timely now: words like “weakling,” “worthless,” “mean,” sound all too familiar while phrases like “do anything he wanted to because he was strongest,” “[p]ower and strength mean everything,” and “nasty, violent bullies,” reverberate too often in current public conversations.

Try these oversized antidotes: “The love I write about is something very natural,” Miyanishi reminds. “Here, it’s all about showing that love is far more important than power. I hope you agree.”

Readers: Children

Published: 2006 (Japan), 2017 (United States)