WHERE CROCODILES HAVE WINGS

Bold and imaginative collage illustrations swirl and swoop against neon-bright backgrounds in this exploration of a nonsensical world “where surprises grow on trees.” Barner’s illustrations are a delightful cacophony of brilliant colors and flowing shapes outlined in thick, black strokes, with sprinkles of stars and flowers to underscore the flavor of fantasy. In a rollicking, rhyming text (that occasionally doesn’t scan), McKissack introduces a cast of happy animals engaging in wildly inventive activities (bears laying eggs, zebras playing hockey) or possessing extraordinary characteristics (a fuchsia fox in argyle socks, a rat with four eyes). As a connecting device, a little boy in plaid pajamas bounces in and out of the illustrations, landing in bed at the final verse that indicates that such fantastical creatures can be found in the pages of favorite books. (Picture book. 4-8)