Jacob Two-Two and the dinosaur

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur was published in 1987 as the long-awaited sequel to Mordecai Richler's beloved 1975 children’s book, Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang. While the original book emerged from the author's desire to entertain his own children with the story of a boy who repeats every phrase twice, this second installment expanded the narrative scope to include a fantastical creature. The story centers on Jacob receiving a miniature dinosaur as a birthday gift, which promptly grows to an unmanageable size, forcing him into a series of bureaucratic and social confrontations.

The book's illustration style typically evokes the whimsical, satirical tone that Richler was known for in his adult fiction, translated here for a younger audience. The Skylark edition, often found in libraries and classrooms, served to introduce the character to a new generation of readers. The series has remained a staple of Canadian children's literature, praised for its dry wit and the way it treats the perspective of a small child navigating a world dominated by often absurd adult figures.