Crocodile Listens ANNOTATION
As other animals walk, gallop or trot by, a hungry crocodile lies quietly in the sand, listening for a very special sound from her nesting place. Includes factual information about Nile crocodiles.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
A, tasty frog croaks. Delicious warthogs tromp by, Crocodile doesn't move. She hasn't eaten in weeks. But she only lies and listens. Crocodile has a secret hidden in the sand.
What could keep such a fearsome, toothy creature from hunting? This craggy crocodile is about to prove she can be as tender, devoted, and motherly as she is dangerous....
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
On the bank of the Nile River a crocodile sits and waits. She hears the pounding hooves of the animals and the croaking of a frog but no sound induces her to move but the incessant "beeeyo, beeeyo" from within her eggs. Slowly she moves toward the mound, scratches and digs to free her babies. One little egg, with baby trapped inside its shell, is taken into her powerful jaws and gently cracked. Climbing on her back the babies ride the Nile, now theirs to explore, while the patient mother feasts after her long fast. Factual information is seamlessly incorporated into this tender story of a nurturing mother. Exquisite pastels evoke the African landscape and convey both the power and size of the mother crocodile and the fragility of new life. This is an exceptional combination of story and illustration. 2001, Greenwillow, $15.95 and $15.89. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer:Beverley Fahey
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-A crocodile waits and listens, ignoring the giraffes thumping by, the warthogs tromping, and the croaking frog that would make a wonderful snack. Finally, she hears her babies' cries and she digs them out of the sand so they can hatch. Using beautifully simple language ("Like an ancient dinosaur/with scraggly teeth-"), Sayre introduces information about the Nile crocodile while maintaining the immediacy of a story. Suspense adds to the narrative: "She has not eaten for weeks.-/Yet for some reason,/she only listens." Stammen's illustrations have an almost photographic reality at times, perfectly portraying the fierceness with which the mother guards her babies, and the gentle way she cracks an eggshell between her enormous teeth to help release the infant trapped inside. The animal sounds integrated into the text will make this a hit at storytimes, and an endnote gives additional facts about the Nile crocodile.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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