Wednesday 7 March 2018

The Carnivorous Crocodile by Jonnie Wild and Brita Granstrom (Otter-Barry Books)

Here's a rather fabulous book that may well tap into some well-known defaults in children's books, but to great effect and for a very good cause...
The goodies: A selection of animals who really would love to dip their toes in the cool welcoming pool on the African savannah.

The baddie: A big selfish dozy annoying hungry and rather dangerous crocodile.

In "The Carnivorous Crocodile" wildlife expert Jonnie Wild (fantastic name!) teams up with Brita Granstrom for a superb tale of pulling the wool over a big bully's eyes.

The titular crocodile is mean, and he's staking out the local watering hole. No one dare bathe there until some brave flamingos come up with a great idea. They silently wade out into the pool and when confronted by the nasty old croc, they come up with a perfect excuse for not being eaten. For everyone knows that Flamingos give you indigestion, right (and there's practically no meat on them anyway).

The other animals see this fantastic ruse and play along, all pretending to be flamingos too - until the big bully eventually wises up just a little too late - and unceremoniously becomes an Elephant trampoline in one of the book's best bits!

This book's sales will contribute to wildlife conservation in Africa, and it's a thoroughly great romp with a fantastic message about sharing too.

"The Carnivorous Crocodile" by Jonnie Wild and Brita Granstrom is out now, published by Otter-Barry Books.