The Megasaurus

By: Thomas Weck and Peter Weck
Illustrated by: Len DiSalvo
Publisher: Lima Bear Press
Publication Date: January 2011
ISBN: 978-1933872124
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 6, 2011

Help! Help! Somebody, quick, the residents of Beandom need help! The poor little Bean folk are being terrorized by a nasty, BIG and very hungry Megasaurus and his favorite food is….beans!

King Limalot didn’t know what to do to save his kingdom so he called in the three wise owls. Surely they would have a plan. Howl the Owl was the first to suggest an idea for handling the scary Megasaurus. His idea? Make lots and lots of pancakes. That way, Megasaurus will fill up on pancakes and be too full to eat beans. While the King thinks the idea might work, little L. Joe Bean, a servant’s son, declared:

“Your plan’s no good. It’s very bad.”

Howl the Owl heard him and howled:
“Silence now, you silly bean!
You know nothing, it would seem.
You can see my plan is good.
It will work just as it should!”

But L. Joe Bean was right – the pancake plan failed because the Megasaurus ate all the pancakes and then ate Howl the Owl and all the bakers! The other two owls then suggest their own plans, but each meets with the same results as the first. Whatever will the Beans do?

Little L. Joe Bean has a plan that he whispers to the King. What is the plan? And more important - will it work? The reader is kept in suspense as L. Joe Bean gets to work and bravely approaches the Megasuarus.

The Megasaurus is a lighthearted story with a happy ending (and don’t worry, those silly owls make out okay in the end!). While big and nasty, the Megasaurus is also a bit goofy and should provide plenty of giggles. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and fit well with the humorous story of Beans in trouble. Although the text was a bit rough in a few spots, “King Limalot was now even more very scared,” the unique story line will make this book a frequent request at story time. At the back of the book are two pages of suggestions to “extend the learning” and offer “activities.”

Quill says: A funny tale of how one lowly Bean saves the whole kingdom from a bean-eating Megasuarus.