I Admire, Applaud, Appreciate Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos

Oh, how I love finding a wonderful, terrific, amazing use of the rule of threes in a picture book, and Stegothesaurus, written by Bridget Heos and illustrated by T. L McBeth, is FULL of solid gold examples.

I’d like to point out THREE different ways that Heos uses the rule of threes in this book.

1. The book begins with three characters–a trio of dinosaur brothers. Two of the dinos look very much the same. The third is wearing a snazzy bow tie.

2. The book incorporates lists of three things. In this particular approach, two of those things follow a similar pattern, then the third thing breaks the pattern. Generally, the third thing is the funniest of the three. The book’s very first spread shows THREE examples of this:

Example 1 (list of the characters):

A stegosaurus.

Another stegosaurus.

And a . . . stegothesaurus.

Example 2 (list of the the responses from the three dinosaurs):

Hi.

Hi.

Hello! Greetings! Salutations!

Example 3 (list of the words Stegothesaurus uses in place of “Hi”):

Hello!

Greetings!

Salutations!

3. This book includes adjective synonyms and verb synonyms in groups of, you guessed it, THREE. Each time one of these groups of words is used, those synonyms often begin with the same consonant. Not only does this give us three things, but it also gives us a bit of alliteration which is pleasing to the ear.

If you haven’t already decided to get this book, I have THREE more ways to entice you.

1. This book contains a brilliant surprise moment.

2. This book makes excellent use of my favorite punctuation–the ellipses.

3. This book is funny, amusing, hilarious!

_____________________________

WINNER:  Congratulations to Laura Renauld! She won a copy of Quiet Wyatt.

Tammi Sauer

Tammi Sauer, a former teacher and library media specialist, is a full-time children's book author who presents at schools and conferences across the country. She has more than 30 published picture books and has many others on the way. Her books have received awards, earned starred reviews, made lists, been made into musicals, and been translated into many different languages. Most importantly, kids really like her books! To learn more about Tammi and her books, please visit tammisauer.com and follow her on Twitter at @SauerTammi.

35 Comments:

  1. I read this one recently! I’m definitely a fan! It’s super clever!

  2. Fun book! My teacher brain is already thinking of ways it can be used in the classroom!

  3. How clever! I can’t wait to read this fun story. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Looks very fun, enjoyable, playful! 😉

  5. This book is right up my alley (passage, path)! Definitely going to need a copy of my own. 🙂

  6. This book sounds amazing!! Definitely going to check it out.
    Thanks for sharing.

  7. Oh so fun!!! It’s added to my to-read list!

  8. Kathleen Mazurowski

    I can’t wait to read this. Besides a delightful story, it sounds like a mentor text for me. Thanks!

  9. Super! Superb! Stupendous!

  10. Alliteration, puns, and a plot twist – 3 of my favorites!

  11. Sounds delightful. I will be looking for this one.

  12. Oh, I can’t wait for this one! Love it! Congratulations!

  13. Danielle Hammelef

    Enjoyed this post very much! I am going to find a copy. Thank you for this learning moment for me.

  14. I’m intrigued! I can’t wait to read this book. Thank you for sharing and congrats, Bridget!

  15. I love, admire, laud Stegothesaurus!

    And I’m so happy to be the winner of Quiet Wyatt! Your books are fabulous! Thank you so much 🙂

  16. Becky Scharnhorst

    What a brilliant concept! Excited to read this one!

  17. Adding it to my library request list. Thanks for the recommendation, Tammi.

  18. I want it. I want it., I want it.

  19. I want it. I want it. I want it.

  20. This sounds like a winner, a must see, a gotta have it.

  21. Love this. Thank you for introducing it. I’ll definitely be getting a copy.

  22. I love the rule of threes! But why 3s, I wonder? Thank you for using STEGOTHESAURUS to illustrate this mysterious, puzzling, and enigmatic concept.

  23. This looks so cute!! Love Bridget Heos’s work, especially I, Fly–so funny!

  24. I loved this book…such a clever premise and full of humor!

  25. This book is perfect for me, myself, and I!

  26. How fun! Going to check this one out…thanks, Tammi!

  27. I adore
    I admire
    I…LOVE this scrappy, spunky, spirited Stegothesaurus!

  28. This book sounds amazing, just like this review!

  29. What a brilliant concept. Thanks for the fun teaser.

  30. How fun! Thank you for bringing this mentor text to our attention.

  31. Can’t wait to check this out! Thanks for sharing, Tammi!

  32. Amazing, incredible, phenomenal! Can’t wait to read this one. Thanks!!

  33. So clever! Witty! Ingenious! Thank you! 🙂

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