Christabel Crocodile's Birthday Egg

From Publishers Weekly
Silly and playful, this zoological excursion contains kid-pleasing touches aplenty. For her birthday, Christabel Crocodile receives a gift of a pilfered penguin egg from her friend Rene Rat: "This egg isn't for eating, it's for hatching!" When an adorable penguin pops out, the two pals tear through the zoo to return the baby to its rightful parents. (The hatchling, no help whatsoever, keeps crying "Pip," which Rene and Christabel mistake for its name.) Little ones will enjoy the scary animal noises that ensue as the duo keeps bumping into one wrong parent after another; and such frequent exclamations as "help," "yikes," and "wheee" make this a natural read-aloud. Whimsical, cartoony watercolors of diverse zoo denizens add to the fun, and the concluding gag is particularly satisfying. Ages 3-8. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
When Renâe Rat gives Christabel Crocodile a penguin egg for her birthday and they try to hatch it together, an exciting zoo adventure ensues.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

It's Christabel crocodile's birthday, but instead of giving her a red ball or a yellow toy duck, her friend Rene the rat gives her an egg. That it happens to be a penguin's egg becomes clear when little Pip the penguin pops out. Smart enough to know that little penguins need penguin moms, Christabel and Rene set off with Pip through the secret tunnels under the zoo to find the penguin pool. The problem is finding the right tunnel exit to get Pip home. Children will like the "wrong turn" surprises that ensue in this simply told story, which Knuppel has illustrated with cartoonlike characters full of verve.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices