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Tea Rex #3

Sea Rex

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What could that be    down in the sea? Is it a fish? A snail? A mermaid’s tail? No, it’s bigger than that . . . a LOT bigger . . . it’s Sea Rex!
Join Cordelia and her cretacious companions as they spend a memorable day at the beach, as only dinosaurs can do!

40 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2015

3 people are currently reading
244 people want to read

About the author

Molly Idle

45 books204 followers
Molly Idle has been drawing ever since she could wield a pencil. But while she started scribbling before she could walk, her professional career as an artist began slightly later…

It was upon her graduation from Arizona State University, with a BFA in Drawing, that Molly accepted an offer to work for DreamWorks Feature Animation Studios. After five years, a number of film credits, and an incredibly good time, she left the studio and leapt with gusto into the world of children's book illustration!

Molly now lives in Arizona with her brilliant husband, two wonderfully mischievous sons, and two snugly cats. When not making mischief with her boys or watching old Technicolor musicals, she can be found at her desk scribbling away, with a pencil in one hand and a cup of espresso in the other- creating a plethora of profoundly whimsical picture books!

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5 stars
134 (16%)
4 stars
292 (35%)
3 stars
328 (39%)
2 stars
75 (9%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,570 reviews534 followers
August 22, 2021
Read yet again for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf. Even as I am trying to catch up on my backlog of reviews in order to clear the TBR shelves for monsters, murder, and suchlike for the two months of All Hallow's Read and Halloween Bingo, I walked out of my libraries yesterday with more books than I could carry into the house in one trip.

What kills me is that I keep checking out books that I have already read, with no recollection. If Goodreads didn't remember I wouldn't know at all (one of my libraries keeps no records of previous books). The things that make them appealing to me, like big critters doing people stuff, must be pretty deeply grounded.

Library copy
Profile Image for Candace.
950 reviews
July 20, 2018
Cordelia with her dinosaur friends spend the day at the beach. This book is a fun summer read about all the do's and don't's at the beach. With the the Rex dinosaur center stage in all the pastel drawings, a child will gear up for a fun day in the sand, surf and sun.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,000 reviews265 followers
November 29, 2018
The T-Rex and his two little human companions, whose previous adventures are chronicled in Tea Rex and Camp Rex , return in this third picture-book, this time heading to the beach for some fun in the sun. The simple narrative gives instructions on the proper way to comport oneself at the shore - putting on sunscreen, waiting to take a dip after eating, swimming with a partner - while the artwork captures all the fun that dinosaurs and children have together.

Although Sea Rex is the third book about this genial T-Rex and his human friends, it is only the second I have read, not being currently able to track down the second title, Camp Rex . I enjoyed it as much as the first ( Tea Rex ), and thought the faux-instructional narrative worked particularly well when contrasted with the more zany illustrations. The artwork, as is always the case with Molly Idle's books, is really lovely, cute but also beautiful (the two are not always the same thing). Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the earlier Tea Rex books, and to anyone searching for entertaining seashore adventures for the picture-book set.
Profile Image for Michele Knott.
4,216 reviews204 followers
May 27, 2015
Whenever I read the books in Molly Idle's "Rex" series, I always imagine the voice over voice from old Disney comics, the ones with Goofy. There was a series of "How To" videos starting Goofy with this voice over guy doing the explanations of what was happening.
Anyway... I think Tea Rex is my favorite story but Sea Rex has my favorite illustrations.
Great book to share as we head into summer vacation!
Profile Image for Jesse.
2,784 reviews
January 16, 2016
I love Molly Idle's illustrations! The juxtaposition of gentle curves with sharp angles appeals to me so much. This book is a fun one about spending the day at the beach with friends. It's great fun!
Profile Image for Jessica.
998 reviews
June 24, 2016
Cute Dino book from the author of Tea Rex. Story time kids enjoyed it, and one left contemplating whether he should bring a Dino to the beach next week - that's story time gold right there!
Profile Image for Rebecca Gomez.
Author 6 books34 followers
October 4, 2018
I like Molly Idle’s illustration style, and I’ve enjoyed her wordless picture books in the past. But this book was a disappointment because I expected the T-Rex to have some relevance to the story. It appears, however, that it’s only there for the clever title. As far as “slice of life” day-at-the-beach stories go, it was about average.

Edited to add: I didn’t realize this was part of a series. But I still think having a dinosaur pal at the beach should make for a more interesting plot.
Profile Image for Maria.
4,636 reviews117 followers
December 17, 2020
Charming family goes to the sea shore. I was delighted at the rising red sunburns on the T-rex and little boy... great illustrated jokes if you are paying attention.
Profile Image for Margaret.
2,800 reviews
May 16, 2015
In exactly eleven days an official holiday will signal the unofficial beginning of summer. Memorial Day weekend is when many individuals will meet with family and friends to travel to the nearest parks and lakes to enjoy a little rest and relaxation for the first time this year. It's a time to reap the benefits of unhindered sunrises and sunsets, sand and hopefully some solitude.

For others living along one of the coasts, the days will bring about an entirely different kind of adventure. Those large bodies of water hold mysteries within their depths. You never know what might wash up along the shores. In their newest undertaking Cordelia, her younger brother, his teddy bear companion, and her prehistoric pals, Rex, Alan, Rosemary and Clarence, whose delightful antics we've enjoyed in Tea Rex and Camp Rex, are headed for some seaside merriment. Sea Rex (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), May 26, 2015) is sure to send you packing for your next excursion with a smile on your face.

My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
Profile Image for Kellee Moye.
2,923 reviews340 followers
March 30, 2020
Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=7030

Molly Idle is becoming one of my favorite illustrators. Her characters are so expressive, and her illustrations are so soft yet colorful. But what really pushes her book to extraordinary are the whimsy within her text. Sea Rex follows the antics of Cordelia, her brother, and their prehistoric friends at the beach. Filled with fun times like sunbathing, swimming, castle building, and picnicing, this book is full of fun times with some silly friends.
Profile Image for Linda .
4,192 reviews52 followers
August 26, 2015
It was a lot of fun reading this book about the antics of Sea Rex and friends while at the beach. Pretending that a few dinosaurs might just show up as they did in the story made for a lot of laughs. It's a cute story full of the imagination of "what if?" Molly Idle's illustrations are just right for younger kids, full of bright color, and easy-to-read expressions.
Profile Image for Viviane Elbee.
Author 4 books60 followers
January 8, 2019
This book shows a fun day at the beach with dinosaur friends. The kids enjoyed reading it with me and pointing out the details in the illustrations - like the crab who pinches the little girl's nose.

Great book for fans of Molly Idle's other Rex books (Tea Rex, Camp Rex...), for dinosaur fans, for beach fans, and for fans of trouble-making birds.
Profile Image for Jason.
3,956 reviews25 followers
August 10, 2015
The illustrations are AMAZING, but Idle travels such well-worn territory, it almost seems like they're going to waste. I'm sure many will disagree. That said, I wasn't such a fan of the flamingo book (thought the illustrations are BEAUTIFUL).
Profile Image for Laela.
871 reviews25 followers
May 29, 2015
This is as adorable as the other books in this series. It came in and I had to share it with every single person I have come across.
Profile Image for Mandy Summers.
82 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2015
I am 100% enchanted with the Rex books! The funny art work coupled with the mellow passages!!!! Absolutely adorable!
Profile Image for Paul.
1,893 reviews
September 21, 2016
The idea of going to the beach with a friendly dinosaur is imaginative enough, but the story feels like more of a jumble and never takes off.
Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books474 followers
November 25, 2023
Just in case it won't be enough for Cordelia to go to the beach, this fictional trip includes a ton of cretacious companions.

Standard safety advice is supplied, although kids will also see pictures of friendly dinosaurs. Reminds me of the standard medical disclaimers at the bottom of a drug ad, while the rest of the commercial shows an ecstatically healthy, happy person who has been cured by the medication.

Every bit of the story has that ironic, detached, post-postmodern twist. Like: Readers, I'll tell you all you need to go about the ocean, but that's kind of banal and stupid. The smart money is betting on riding dionsaurs.

WHAT DOES CRETACIOUS MEAN, ANYWAY?

CRETACIOUS means relating to the last period of the Mesozoic era, between the Jurassic and Tertiary periods. For instance, animals shown in this book as though they're alive. Only since readers of this book do not live during the Cretaceous period, that's not true, nor is it realistic.

Any book that describes playing around with animals now extinct... is an anachronism. There weren't any books back then, to put it mildly.

RATING THIS BOOK

Do I think this detached, fancier-than-thou perpective is good for impressionable children? Absolutely not.



2,148 reviews30 followers
April 6, 2018
I enjoyed this one a bit more than Camp Rex, even though it has the same style - sparse, practical-sounding text paired with gorgeous dinosaur-filled illustrations. The text with this one just seemed funnier to me somehow, or maybe it was little coastal me (with a background in swimming and lifeguarding) getting a kick out of the beachy dinos and their water rings. And of course, Molly Idle's illustrations are always lovely!

As with the other Rex books, I do wish there was a little more text, just to make it an easier book to include in a storytime. If you don't mind working with the simple text, it'd be a great book to include in a storytime on dinos or beaches, though you might have to fill in a bit more of the story for the audience. Either way, it's still a wonderful book to read one-on-one where you can appreciate the illustrations more carefully.
Profile Image for Lydia.
1,122 reviews49 followers
December 14, 2017
Rex and crew are back to help readers learn how to have fun and be safe at the beach!

As always, Ms. Idle's pictures are charming! I always love how she portrays people, particularly girls in her stories; they are elegant. Even when disheveled or upset, they still seem graceful, not something we get to see very much. The "rules of the sea" are for the most part great advice, my only quibble (and this is just because I know actual lifeguards) is that the crew includes the lifeguard in their fun when you are not supposed to distract the lifeguard! Seems mean, but it helps them focus on saving people's lives; so sorry, no including them in your picnics.

No content issues.

Profile Image for Donna.
1,030 reviews32 followers
June 2, 2023
Challenge: BookADayMay 2023: 21/31; LizziefayeLovesBooks/Serious About Series - Bonus series: Series started and finished in 2023: 3/4; Reading Goal Posts/Stacking the Series - Category 22/23 - series started in 2023. Another great installment when Rex and friends go to the beach and learn water safety while having the time of their lives. Idle's fluid and flawless pencil work in a myriad of curved, blocked (Rex) and sharp lines captures the body caricature of each character that is very pleasing to the eye. Just when they think it's safe to go in the water, it is, as long as you are with friends. A local author whose body of work I wish to explore in full of those books accessible to me.
Profile Image for Nicola.
3,639 reviews
December 28, 2017
Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

This was one that I chose for us to read. We've read both Tea Rex and Sea Rex; Miss 3 likes both of them but I think I like Tea Rex best. This one has them to go to the beach and have adventures together (as well as remembering that being with friends is what makes things the best!)
Profile Image for Baby Bookworm.
1,642 reviews109 followers
July 31, 2018
https://thebabybookwormblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/sea-rex-molly-idle/

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Sea Rex by Molly Idle, the third in her positively charming Rex series.

Rex and his two young friends – Cordelia and her younger brother – head down to the beach for a day of fun and sun. But just like their previous outings, there are certain rules of etiquette and safety to be followed, which the text enlightens the reader to: staying in sight of a lifeguard, using plenty of sunscreen, and being sure to hunt for seaside treasures. During their day, the trio meet new dinosaurs during their adventures, which leads one more rule of beachgoing – the best day at the beach is one spent with friends.

So adorable. Idle’s delightfully cheeky style of combining instructional text with the tongue-in-cheek, beautifully laid-out, and incredibly endearing illustrations makes for a fun read no matter the age. Dino-lovers like JJ will be particularly pleased with the friendly-looking dinosaurs and the children’s interactions with them. The length is perfect, and JJ was grinning for every page. A fantastic summertime read, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
Profile Image for Joanne Roberts.
1,339 reviews20 followers
April 27, 2021
So really, the story is probably about three stars and the text middling, but the illustration—! Can Molly Idle draw anything badly? Evidently not. An adequate follow up to the first successful book. And it's always nice to have girl and dinosaur picture books available.
Profile Image for Alicia.
8,523 reviews150 followers
March 21, 2023
Big dinosaurs like the TRex and triceratops are on an adventure to the sea with their two friends. Wearing the cutest floaties and and finding seashells, it's an energetic and lovingly drawn picture book in the series that compliments being at the beach.

I'm the biggest Idle fan now!
Profile Image for Pug.
1,360 reviews3 followers
June 27, 2024
Cute dinosaur/beach book. Love the t-rex's sunburn! Because T-Rex Trying, of course.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews

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