Summary: Celebrate the imagination—and the love between father and son—with a fun, rhyming, and totally original picture book. On a hot summer’s day, a young boy playfully sets out on a “crocodaddy hunt” in the lake. Following the creature’s shadow, dark and wet, he’s soon taking a wild ride on the grinning croc’s back. And when they leave the water, something wonderful happens: Crocodaddy transforms into…just DADDY. Bright, energetic illustrations (complete with wily crocodile in Dad’s swim trunks) highlight the story’s humor and warmth. -- SterlingCROCODADDY by Kim Norman and illustrated by David Walker is just a precious little book for the toddler or preschooler in your life. When I first showed this book to my four year old son, he wanted me to read it to him right away because he liked the cover and the title. Like most little guys, he adores anything animal related and the thought of a little boy riding a crocodile was just too exciting.
The basic idea of this book is that a little boy and his daddy go to the lake together, and the boy pretends that his daddy is a crocodaddy. He then sets off on a hunt to capture the elusive crocodaddy. I love how the story encourages kids to use their imaginations while they play; and, I really liked the message that little boys and their fathers have special relationships. (That's not to say that my son and I don't have a bond, but I can't really see me pretending to be a crocodile.)
I had a great time reading this book to my son. The text is rhyming and very catchy, and there were only a few lines of words on each page. Lots of pictures and few words make this book ideal for preschoolers and perfect for reading out loud. While I enjoyed the story, I really appreciated the illustrations. The pictures were bright and colorful with lots to look at; and I loved the facial expressions on the boy.
When I asked my son what was his favorite part of this book, he immediately replied (with a huge grin) "Everything!" I tried to get some specifics, and he said he liked when the boy and his daddy were together at the end. He might say that was the best part for him, but I heard quite a few giggles when the boy fell in the water and when he fed the crocodaddy a sandwich. We've read this book a few times already, and it always manages to keep his attention.
I definitely recommend this adorable picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. I'm pretty sure that they will enjoy it as much as my son has, and I think parents will like reading it too!
Thanks to Kidzbookbuzz.com for allowing me to participate in this book blog tour.
Make sure you check out the other stops on this tour:
A Christian Worldview of Fiction
A Mom Speaks
A Pathcwork of Books
All About Children’s Books
Becky’s Book Reviews
Cafe of Dreams
Dolce Bellezza
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Fireside Musings
KidzBookBuzz.com
Looking Glass Reviews
Maw Books Blog
Never Jam Today
Olive Tree
Our Big Earth
Reading is My Superpower
SMS Book Reviews
The 160 Acrewoods
Through a Child’s Eyes
We used to go to Hilton Head every summer and Vance and our nephew were always fascinated with the alligators there - they even named one Tomboy. I think Vance would have loved this book because of that!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really cute. Another one to put on my list of possible gifts to little guys.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book! My boys would absolutely love this one! They both love animals; my oldest was able to name animals at age three that I'd never heard of!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds adorable, I'll have to keep it in mind for when my boy's a bit older.
ReplyDeleteJulie, what a GREAT review! You said everything I thought about this book, but from the strong position of having actually read it aloud to your son. How great to read about his reaction to the fun parts and that he liked the ending best. I wondered if it was maybe too subtle.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find a place to put it, but one of MY favorite parts was the dedication: "For Kelvin, our own beloved Crocodaddy. – KN" and "For our 'croc-o-buddies' Matthew and Joseph. –DW"
Croc-o-buddies ... perhaps brothers or uncles or friends ... It's cool that the illustrator didn't leave them out.
Becky
Your son sounds like a doll. I'm glad you both enjoyed this book.
ReplyDeleteBtw, I have a little something for you here--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
Sounds like one I will be purchasing for my nephew. Thanks for a great review!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're little one liked this book so much. Mine does too.
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