Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo

Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo is a classic ‘rehabilitation’ story reminiscent of Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry G. Allard and James Marshall, or Dangerous Minds by LouAnne Johnson (though not adult based!) The premise behind Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo is that Arlo’s class is so unruly, disobedient, and unteachable that they cannot keep a teacher for long, for varying reasons (as noted in excerpt above). Enter Mrs. Ogg, a stereotypical cavewoman (or perhaps actual cavewoman!) with animal print clothing, bones in her ears, wild hair, and communicating with grunts and by thumping her stick on the ground. In fact, most of the characters in Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo are stereotypes of one form or another, often to the extreme. These stereotypes may be an attempt to invite humour from young readers.

Mrs. Ogg teaches the students unconventional lessons, like making paints from items found in nature, how to start fires, and she manages the classroom with thumping and clapping rhythm making. She eventually decides to take the class on a field trip to the zoo, but, unbeknownst to the students, this isn’t your typical zoo! This zoo has dinosaurs! The remainder of the book consists of 4X’s adventures at the dinosaur zoo, with outlandish scenarios that all seem to work out in the end. The end of the day finds 4X discovering many of their ‘hidden talents’ as opposed to focusing on their disrespectful behavior or disobedient actions.

Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo is sure to delight early chapter readers from about grades 2-4. Those younger than grade 2 will have to have the book read to them, and children older than grade 4 will likely find the book too juvenile. The ridiculous scenarios and cliches in this book will elicit giggles from a younger audience, as will the cute, black and white cartoon drawings by Durst. Obviously, the book will also appeal to children who enjoy dinosaurs! There are enough difficult words in the text to keep pushing readers forward with their reading skills and learning new vocabulary, and there is thorough representation of different genders and ethnicities. Overall, Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo is a quick and engaging read.

One of the difficulties with the book is the purposeful stereotypes. The protagonist, Arlo, is the stereotypical ‘good kid’ in the class, organized, intelligent, responsible, good writer, and quiet, but he has difficulty pronouncing large words when he’s intimidated. He is the character that always ‘saves the day’. Some other stereotypes include spoiled rich girl, terrible twins, thief, extremely shy and non-verbal, physical (hitting others), forgetful, troublemaker, loud blurter, poor/troubled home, and so forth. Unfortunately, and likely not intentionally, some of these cliches are applied to the wrong ethnicities, reinforcing stereotypes. As an adult reader, I found the story predictable and ‘over-the-top’ (too many extremes, outrageous situations with quick solutions, and pee and poop references); therefore, Arlo, Mrs. Ogg, and the Dinosaur Zoo was not one of my favourite reads. The writing seemed somewhat forced to produce humour, create excitement, and advance the story; however, as previously mentioned, this title will likely be a hit with younger audiences!