Through night and day, across a year, Crocodile lays and hatches her young, eats crunchy turtles, and evades predators. London’s poetic text is straightforward and informative, and reads beautifully aloud: “A big buck / slaps through the shallows,” “A blue crab scuttles, / pincers clacking, / attacking the hatchlings.” His text is laid in a column on a beige textured background against the right or left margin of each long double-spread, with Morin’s three-quarter bleed oil paintings dominating. The illustrations, in rich and warm colors, are realistic but with a soft line and impressionistic lighting. Though they may not immediately engage young readers, they match the mood of London’s text, as they did in the pair’s previous collaboration, Panther: Shadow of the Swamp (not reviewed). A page-long note at the end restates, in more detail, the crocodile reproductive habits that were communicated in the text, and goes on to describe the endangered status of American crocodiles. A map showing the location of the Florida Everglades (with an inset of most of the US showing Florida’s relative location) faces the note. Oddly, the term “everglades” is used nowhere in the main text or in the note. For young crocodile enthusiasts or for classroom use, this is a fine introduction to the habitat and habits of American crocodiles. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-56402-634-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily.
A group of young “dinosauruses” go out into the world on their own.
A fuchsia little Hugasaurus and her Pappysaur (both of whom resemble Triceratops) have never been apart before, but Hugasaurus happily heads off with lunchbox in hand and “wonder in her heart” to make new friends. The story has a first-day-of-school feeling, but Hugasaurus doesn’t end up in a formal school environment; rather, she finds herself on a playground with other little prehistoric creatures, though no teacher or adult seems to be around. At first, the new friends laugh and play. But Hugasaurus’ pals begin to squabble, and play comes to a halt. As she wonders what to do, a fuzzy platypus playmate asks some wise questions (“What…would your Pappy say to do? / What makes YOU feel better?”), and Hugasaurus decides to give everyone a hug—though she remembers to ask permission first. Slowly, good humor is restored and play begins anew with promises to be slow to anger and, in general, to help create a kinder world. Short rhyming verses occasionally use near rhyme but also include fun pairs like ripples and double-triples. Featuring cozy illustrations of brightly colored creatures, the tale sends a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate ways to resolve conflict, the final pages restating the lesson plainly in a refrain that could become a classroom motto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-82869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
What if one day every merchant in town offered up, and indeed, insisted that shoppers take home a live dinosaur (free) with every purchase? That’s what happens to a boy and his mother in this sweet, absurd story that unfolds very much like a dream—or a nightmare, depending on the reader’s perspective on having a large dinosaur as a pet. In Small’s comical, wonderfully expressive watercolor-and-ink drawings, it’s easy to identify the mother’s reaction to the bonus triceratops (free with a dozen doughnuts); stegosaurus (from the doctor instead of stickers); and pterosaur (from the barber instead of the usual balloon): unmitigated horror, inversely proportionate to her son’s delight. The hulking beasts are irresistibly endearing, though, as they wait patiently, doglike, for their new owners outside all the town establishments and ultimately, once at home in the family’s backyard, prove their worth as household laborers, cleaning gutters and rescuing far-flung Frisbees. In the end, the boy’s friends bring their own newly acquired dinos over to his house for a poolside party—and he knows Mom has truly come around when she calls the baker for more doughnuts. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-689-86922-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2007
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