The day starts like any other, little crocodile wakes, gets dressed, eats breakfast but then he notices a change, he becomes nervous and observant, he clings to mummy crocodile and cries when she leaves him at the nursery. Throughout the day he warms to this new environment with activities, other little animals and a lovely elephant carer. Then, with the ‘pof’ of a bubble, mummy crocodile is back and he is comforted again in her happy embrace.
I adore the amount of detail and emotion shown through illustration in this book, particularly as the style is quite simple looking at first. It creates a delightful unity with the text which exclusively tells of the sounds and noises around the little crocodile, such as ‘The door goes wumpth’, ‘The car goes vroom vroom’ and my favourite, ‘The monkey says oooh oooh aaah aaah’.
The story delivers a nice message about it being okay to be scared and overcoming fear. It would be relatable and helpful to toddlers starting out at daycare or nursery and those struggling with separation anxiety.
A gorgeous and heartwarming book, with many sounds and noises making it especially fun to read aloud.
Title: What Does the Crocodile Say?
Author/Illustrator: Eva Montanari
Publisher: Book Island Limited, $19.99
Publication Date: 8 October 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781911496113
For ages: 2+
Type: Picture Book
