Meet Thesaurus, a friendly but slightly peculiar dinosaur. His home is a tropical paradise in which friendly pastel-colored dinosaurs frolic and splash, snacking on coconuts or nibbling particularly scrumptious leaves. They are a happy group—but Thesaurus doesn’t quite feel like he fits in. Like the other dinosaurs, Thesaurus loves to eat, swim, play and wrestle. But he is also hiding a secret.
It turns out that Thesaurus is a prehistoric bibliophile. He devours books like the other dinos devour foliage. He worries that his love of books and words makes him a tad different from the rest of his dinosaur clan, so when he settles in to read, he’s careful to stay out of sight. But on one fateful day, he forgets himself and realizes he’s been reading aloud! Have the others heard him? Will they make fun of him? How will he fit in when the thing that makes him stand out is something he loves?
With his pleasantly plump form, cheerful disposition and winning smile—not to mention his erudite vocabulary—Thesaurus is the kind of picture book protagonist that storytime dreams are made of. Using vibrant seaside hues to color her whimsical illustrations, Anya Glazer’s palette of punched-up pastels pairs with a clever, lighthearted narrative to make for a story that’s both lively and engaging. Thesaurus Has A Secret is a delightful and reassuring tale for anyone who’s ever worried about following the crowd.
