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  1 The Crocodile Who Didn't like Water
Author: Merino, Gemma Illustrator: Merino, Gemma
 
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Class: Easy
Age: 3-8
Language: English
Descriptors: Picture Book
Demand: Average
LC: PZ7.M535
Grade: P-3
ISBN-13: 9780735841635
LCCN: BD14077072
Imprint: NorthSouth
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Pub Date: 04/05/2014
Availability: Available
List: $17.95
  Hardcover
Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm H 10.5", W 8.5", D 0.4", 0.75 lbs.
LC Series:
Brodart Sources: Brodart's For Youth Interest Titles
Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
Bibliographies:
Awards: Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Starred Reviews:
TIPS Subjects: Humorous Fiction
Animals
BISAC Subjects: JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Alligators & Crocodiles
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories
LC Subjects: Crocodiles, Fiction
Identity, Fiction
SEARS Subjects: Crocodiles, Fiction
Identity, Fiction
Reading Programs: Accelerated Reader Level: 2 , Points: 0.5
Lexile Level: 480
 
Annotations
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 05/01/2014
This poor little crocodile cannot set foot in the water without sneezing and shivering. Perhaps this strange crocodile is no crocodile, after all! 32pp., Color Ill.
Journal Reviews
Booklist | 07/01/2014
Preschool-Grade 2. "The Ugly Duckling" gets a contemporary refitting in this story about another creature who doesn't fit in until he discovers he's been mixing with the wrong crowd. The fairy-tale element is clear from the "Once upon a time" opening, but the story is set in a world of tiled bathrooms, swimming pools, and inflatable balls. A little crocodile, one of seven siblings, hates water. He peers morosely over the rim of the giant bathtub in which his sibs frolic, and he can't stand the pond and pool. Our hero's uneasiness is perfectly conveyed in the bright, humorously orderly illustrations, with our little guy's goggle eyes and crooked jawline lending him a comically abashed appearance. It is at his darkest moment that he sneezes--and a golden plume of fire shoots up over the diving board. The crocodile is actually a fire-breathing dragon, and he can fly, too. Take that, amphibians! All ends well, with his old fellow crocs taking a ride on his back. A light, unique take on the idea that we all have our talents. Fletcher, Connie. 32p. Booklist Online. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.
Horn Book | 07/01/2014
Preschool, Primary. The animal-who-doesn't-belong theme takes on sparkling new life in this wry and loving story of a small brother in the crocodile family who doesn't like rain or baths or the swimming pool but finds his true nature as the result of a dramatic sneeze. Every element of the picture book is in play here -- endpapers that foreshadow the big reveal and cheekily suggest an epilogue; touches of red in the largely green world that mark our hero as an outsider (viz. his tiny red rubber boots); page design that makes us feel his loneliness; emotion-steeped characters whose dot eyes convey trepidation, shock, joy, tentativeness, exhilaration; just enough typographical shenanigans; a pared-down text with one perfect neologism. The story involves no meanness, no bullying. The siblings are kind before and after the punch line. This is just about the joy and relief of finding yourself, finding your true element, with an added bonus for the aquaphobic reader. And that punch line? Green, toothy, long tail, crenellations along the spine? Not a crocodile, but a.... This is an exemplary picture book. sarah ellis. 32pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2014.
Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2014
2. In this wry and loving story, a small crocodile who, unlike his siblings, doesn't like the water discovers his true nature when he sneezes--and breathes fire. Touches of red in the largely green world mark our hero as an outsider. The story involves no bullying; this is just about the joy and relief of finding yourself, with an added bonus for the aquaphobic reader. se. 32pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2014.
Publishers Weekly | 03/03/2014
Ages 4-8. What begins as an ordinary story of a young hero not fitting in with his peers takes an unexpected and rewarding detour in this debut from London-based author-illustrator Merino. The unnamed crocodile of the title hates being left out when his brothers and sisters swim, dive, and play games in the water, but he hates the water even more. Merino bypasses the obvious trajectory the story could take: while her hero gamely gives the water a chance, swimming with a red flotation ring and attempting a dive in an eight-panel spread ("One, twooo, two and a half, THREEEEE!"), these efforts don't result in instant conversion. Instead, readers discover that his "problem" isn't attitude but biology--there's a good reason this "crocodile" came from a white egg, while his siblings emerged from blue ones. Merino's renderings, using monotype prints and other media, give her hero tons of personality, from his expressive eyes and scraggly teeth to his spindly limbs and tiny wings--wait, wings? This isn't a book to embolden timid swimmers; rather, it celebrates recognizing one's strengths over forcing oneself to fit the mold. (May). 32p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2014.
School Library Journal | 05/01/2014
K-Gr 2. A little crocodile just can't get too enthused about the water, unlike his siblings, who splash and play in it with abandon. The little guy even uses his tooth fairy money to buy a swim ring. Alas, it is not a helpful solution. Just when he is at his lowest, he feels a sneeze coming on. Lo and behold, out shoots a sizable flame, hilariously setting a diving board on fire. He's actually a dragon! On the following pages, he uses his newly discovered talents to treat his brothers and sisters to a ride in a hot-air balloon and eventually on his winged back. Merino hits it out of the park with delightful artwork that will immediately endear the little dragon to readers and have them giggling cover to cover. She writes with a light, clear hand, letting the illustrations deliver the humor. Readers should look closely for neat little details, adding even more charm to this sweet, funny book about celebrating differences. Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR. 32p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2014.
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