The Megasaurus, by Thomas Weck and Peter Weck, illustrated by Len DiSalvo

Deep in the forest, Beandom is in trouble.  This peaceful kingdom of bears who look like beans is being threatened by a monster, the Megasaurus, whose favorite meal is beans.  King Limalot calls together the wisest minds of the kingdom--owls, of course--to figure out how to survive.  Sadly, their wise ideas are no match for the Megasaurus, but little L. Joe Bean has an idea that just might work . . . .

The father/son team of Thomas and Peter Weck tell the story of the potential doom and ultimate salvation of Beandom in The Megasaurus, one of a series of books from Lima Bear Press set in this kingdom of bears that look like beans.  The setting and characters come to life in the colorful illustrations of Len DiSalvo.  He captures the expressions of the owls and bears and the Megasaurus beautifully.  The fanciful kingdom is reminiscent of some combination of the Ewok village, Hobbiton, and a Pueblo Indian village.

Like all the Lima Bear Press books, The Megasaurus teaches valuable lessons.  L. Joe Bean teaches us that even the collective wisdom of society can be wrong, and that creative thinking and determination can demonstrate the power of an idea.  I was also reminded of Paul's admonition to Timothy: "Don't let anyone look down on you because of your youth."  Little children might be a bit scared of the big monster, and distressed by the fact that he eats so many owls and bears.  But ****spoiler alert!**** everyone's OK in the end.

The Megasaurus is a fun book with nice illustrations, a cute story, and a good lesson.  The authors even provide a reading and discussion guide, making it perfectly suited for group reading and discussion.  Teachers and parents will enjoy reading this to their children and will look forward to the next Lima Bear Press book.


Thanks to Lima Bear Press for the complimentary review copy, provided in exchange for an honest review!