________________ CM . . . . Volume XIII Number 2 . . . .September 15, 2006

cover

Crocodiles Say....

Robert Heidbreder. Illustrated by Rae Maté.
Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2005.
32 pp., cloth, $22.95.
ISBN 1-896580-13-0.

Subject Heading:
Crocodiles-Juvenile fiction.

Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 3-6.

Review by Ellie Contursi.

*** /4

   

excerpt:

Crocodiles rise before the sun.
Sleeping in for them's no fun.
They greet the morning one by one.

Crocodiles say. Good Morning Sun!

Crocodiles breakfast on crocodile food
Where crocodile manners are never rude.
hey chew and swallow, their mouths closed tight.

Crocodiles say. Always be polite!

 

A rollicking good time is to be had by all in this clever rhyming picture book. Each double page spread is colourful and filled with the antics of these crocodiles. From the moment they wake, to their bedtime, these crocs know how to have fun. Breakfast is amusing, if messy; toothbrushing is interesting and getting dressed is wild. Next they have the crocodile version of school where they supposedly follow the rules by eating suckers, sitting on tables and doing head stands. Interesting rules! Then it's time to exercise. Swimming, cycling and lifting weights is what they do, all the while dreaming of their reward - ice cream! And finally they enjoy some time outdoors before retiring to their waterbeds.

internal art     Crocodiles Say is nothing but fun. The detailed coloured illustrations fill up each page with the high jinks of these crocodiles, making it easy to smile at the goings-on with each turn of the page. Rae Maté's painted illustrations capture each activity of these silly crocodile characters and add to the humor of the picture book. Crocodiles Say would be a great read aloud for any storytime and a wonderful addition to school and public libraries.

Highly Recommended.

Ellie Contursi is a librarian in London, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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