Imagine You Are a Crocodile [Hardcover]

Karen Wallace (Author), Mike Bostock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

"Wallace and Bostock... do an exceptional job of suggesting how the world appears through crocodilian eyes. A terrific introduction to crocodiles, as well as swamps and predation." --Booklist, starred review

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3. Wallace uses a present-tense narration to describe a mother crocodile's daily routine. This is a deliberately unromanticized view ("The crocodile hangs in the water like a rotten log") with a brief text that is detailed enough to provide some fascinating bits of information ("The sound of tiny barks floats across the rushes. Inside their eggs, her babies are calling"). Readers get a visual as well as a verbal immersion with Bostock's vivid watercolors. His use of color is especially effective. There is no white space, just lots of greens and khakis, touched with yellows, lavender, and peach. The crocodiles and their habitat have a simple, realistic, yet somewhat stylized look. An engaging introduction to these perennially popular creatures.?Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-6. As the title suggests, this picture book invites the child to imagine life as a crocodile, a particular mother crocodile who lies perfectly still in swamp water, catches a heron for a meal, and defends her babies from snakes and other predators. In Think of an Eel (1993), Wallace and Bostock introduced young children to eels through well-conceived words and pictures. Here they do an exceptional job of suggesting how the world appears through crocodilian eyes and explaining why these ancient reptiles do the things they do. The text is as rhythmic and deliberately slow as a crocodile's lumbering walk: "The crocodile hangs in the water / like a rotten log. Her two yellow eyes / seem to float on the scum." Never was scum so beautiful as in Bostock's watercolor illustrations of this swampy habitat. Mottled greens and tans predominate in the artwork, which features wonderfully effective, large-scale pictures on double-page spreads. Fine for reading aloud, this picture book serves as a terrific introduction to crocodiles, as well as swamps and predation. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805046372
• ISBN-13: 978-0805046373
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,322,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful introduction to crocodiles, March 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Imagine You Are a Crocodile (Hardcover)

Containing wonderful watercolor illustrations of crocodiles, this is an inspiring introduction to life as seen through the eyes of a crocodile. I especially enjoyed the illustration showing the mother crocodile carrying the baby crocodiles in her mouth. My 8 year old daughter and I had read about this in research she did for a project so it was nice to see this scene depicted. My four year old enjoyed and learned from the book as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully soothing prose, October 25, 2001

By 

"a_mom" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imagine You Are a Crocodile (Hardcover)

Before reading this story, the thought of a realistic book about crocodiles being a soothing bed time story seemed unlikely. _Imagine You Are a Crocodile_ manages it quite well. The prose has a nice cadence; the alliteration is wonderful. The words glide off the tongue. The watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the crocodile's swamp.

The book is written with plenty of action without being too graphic. The crocodile hangs in the water; she jumps and snatches a heron as it flies by; she yawns, closes her eyes and sleeps in the sun. The mother crocodile cares for her newly hatched babies. The book even has some tension as a snake slithers toward the as yet unhatched crocodile eggs.

The words paint a lovely picture of the crocodile's home. The words invoke the senses and invite discussions of the swamp. Flies buzz in the sunshine. The swamp is murky and green. At night, the swamp is steamy and black.

Although this book is a fictional story, it does slide in some interesting information for those newly interested in crocs. Birds pick food from between the crocodile's teeth. The mother crocodile carries her babies in her mouth.

_Imagine You Are a Crococile_ is a favorite at our house with both the parents and the kids. This one I'll never get tired of reading.