The Dinosaur's New Clothes

The Dinosaur’s New Clothes	The Blue Sky Press
Written and illustrated by Diane Goode	1999
Picture Book	40 pages
Caldecott Honor Artist	Reading Level

Summary

This is a retelling of the Emperor’s clothes except the characters are dinosaurs. Also the setting is in Versailles, France; the great palace of rulers. There is a T-Rex Emperor that loves new clothes. Two raptors travel through the city proclaiming to have the most spectacular magical cloth. It was designed so only the smartest or best for their position to see. The Emperor, of course, had to have an outfit. They measured him and set up their loom. They were heard clacking though the night. The only problem was that there wasn’t any thread upon the loom. The Emperor sends three different advisors to check on the progress of his new clothes. Each time the advisor could not see what the tailors were describing, afraid to admit they could not see and therefore either stupid or unfit for their position. So they report to the Emperor the magnificence of the cloth and news spread across the city. Soon it was time for the Emperor to be fitted for the clothes. Dismayed, he cannot see anything! He lavishes praise on the tailors and the amazing cloth. The tailors took the cloth of the loom, snipped and sewed. Finally, it was finished. They help the Emperor into his suit. Everyone pretends to admire the clothes on the Emperor. He parades through the town, with praises of his garments from everyone. They did not want to seem stupid for not being able to see what everyone else must be seeing. All was going well, until a young child proclaims from the crowd, “The Emperor has nothing on!” The tailors had swindled the Emperor and made everyone afraid of other’s opinions.

Reaction

I enjoyed the book. It had colorful pictures and intricate detail to everything. I liked adding the dinosaurs and new setting into a traditional story that wasn’t that descriptive to the surrounding and characters. I liked that the clothes were drawn in the time period of the eighteenth century when the main focus was on the dress and extravagance of it.

Potential Problems

I could not find any problem except for the vocabulary. The setting is a palace, so there are titles that the child is unfamiliar with.

Recommendations

I would recommend this to children who like reading about dinosaurs or those who are extremely conscious and shy about their opinion and other’s judgment of their comments.