Tyrannosaurus Rex – the dinosaur with the big, bad reputation—is shown having an introspective moment in this picture book for very young children. He ponders just why he is so terrible—is it his color? His size? He suggests he’s no different than any other reptile that hatched from an egg. Pictured on most pages as a mild-looking creature with an endearing overbite, the T-Rex shows his true colors at the book’s end: “If I could, I would be a vegetarian. But I am Tyrannosaurus Rex, and I do not eat trees.” The wordless double-page spread that follows shows the beast towering over his smaller, fleeing prey. “I cannot help that I am so terrible.” Young dinosaur lovers will relish the moment the T-Rex lives up to his billing . (Ages 2–5)

I am a dinosaur, otherwise known as a terrible lizard.
I do not know why I am so terrible.

From a Caldecott Medal honoree comes the story of an endearing Tyrannosaurus rex who wonders why he can't be a vegetarian

Tyrannosaurus rex is a terrible dinosaur; of this, everyone is certain. But is this dinosaur really so terrible? He IS very big and very hungry. True, he might even eat his neighbors for lunch. But from his point of view, he can't help it. After all, he's not a vegetarian . . .

T Is for Terrible is the story of an introspective dinosaur. With droll humor in both the text and illustrations, Peter McCarty shows us why dinosaurs are the obsession of children everywhere. His not so terrible. T. rex is one of the most irresistible children's book dinosaurs to appear since the Mesozoic era.

T Is for Terrible is a 2005 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.