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Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite
What would you do if you were settling down for a quiet bedtime story and you realized that a crocodile had fallen into your storybook and was — not to put too fine a point on it — wreaking havoc? Would you slam that book shut and cram it back onto the bookshelf? Or would you be brave enough to peek?
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 26, 2013
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939 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 333 reviews
March 23, 2024
I'm not sure how I feel about a tutu and bow being used as an insult / device to make the male crocodile less scary...
January 26, 2017
Charming, funny, delightful, and well crafted interactive tale of a crocodile surprising the storyteller.
October 24, 2014
This is a humorous tale that includes the reader in the storyline, encouraging the reader to interact with the book. The narrative is conversational and entertaining and the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish.
The crocodile isn't too scary and might add some laughter to storytime. I'm afraid this isn't likely to be the best book to get a child to settle down for sleep, but it is fun to read aloud. We enjoyed reading this book together.
After reading some of the reviews here, I noticed the repetition of the phrase meta picture book. Not really knowing what that was, I did some research online and discovered a fascinating video here.
I learned a lot about metafiction and I can certaiinly say that this book fits squarely in the category. Philip Nel offers a list of other metafiction books for children here and I thought it was a great list.
The crocodile isn't too scary and might add some laughter to storytime. I'm afraid this isn't likely to be the best book to get a child to settle down for sleep, but it is fun to read aloud. We enjoyed reading this book together.
After reading some of the reviews here, I noticed the repetition of the phrase meta picture book. Not really knowing what that was, I did some research online and discovered a fascinating video here.
I learned a lot about metafiction and I can certaiinly say that this book fits squarely in the category. Philip Nel offers a list of other metafiction books for children here and I thought it was a great list.
January 21, 2019
Fun. Interactive elements and some humor for beginning readers, who will have to work to figure out what the words with the missing letters say. My son LOVED the end, and the cut-outs in the book. He found the book looking like it was being eaten hilarious.
June 11, 2013
A little duckling is trying to tell you a story when a very scary crocodile appears and begins eating letters out of words, leading to a frantic attempt to rid the book of the beast. Very interactive and lots of fun.
For a storytime, pair this one with The Monster At The End of This Book by Jon Stone (the Sesame Street classic) and We Are In A Book by Mo Willems. Also try Harold and the Purple Crayon for drawing a world into reality or Again! by Emily Gravett for the surprising last page. Another fun book to read with this one is Press Here by Herve Tullet, which involves the physical manipulation of the book, inviting kids to shake or rock the book.
For a storytime, pair this one with The Monster At The End of This Book by Jon Stone (the Sesame Street classic) and We Are In A Book by Mo Willems. Also try Harold and the Purple Crayon for drawing a world into reality or Again! by Emily Gravett for the surprising last page. Another fun book to read with this one is Press Here by Herve Tullet, which involves the physical manipulation of the book, inviting kids to shake or rock the book.
January 2, 2017
Such a fun and interactive book to start the year with! The book starts out like a story about a duckling but then there is a very big, very green, very toothy intruder that starts eating up the words and sentences! Oh my. With the children's help we managed to not only rock the scary crocodile to sleep, but to also help chase him right out of the book. My kids thoroughly enjoyed this book, we reread it several times before they were satisfied and ready for bed. After reading the Bath Monster a few days ago I was worried that this would frighten them but this was 100% entertainment with 0% of the fear.
June 6, 2013
Three stars for Nicolas O'Byrne's sharp, soft, endearing illustrations. Her crocodile has the sass and tubby swagger of a toddler. The story is a bit of a bore, though.
February 15, 2017
There is something a little reminiscent of David Ezra Stein's Interrupting Chicken in Bromley's Open Very Carefully. As in Stein's book where the young chicken keeps interrupting the stories that her father is reading and changing their endings, here an alien character interrupts a popular, well-known tale. Here "The Ugly Duckling" is interrupted by a foreign crocodile, and the Ugly Duckling interacts with that crocodile. The Duckling also recognizes the reader, complaining, "He's eating all the letters! What will we read?" It is Interrupting Chicken meets Jon Stone's The Monster at the End of This Book.
Ordinarily I really enjoy picture books that play with the fourth wall. I like the interaction of character and reader. Maybe that was where this book fell a little flat for me. The Ugly Duckling, while recognizing his audience and his existence within a book, does not much interact with the audience because he is so focused on ridding his tale of the crocodile.
Open Very Carefully also lacked the interaction of two characters such as is in the longer and more mature The Stinky Cheese and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Jon Scieszka). The crocodile is all but mute and is dumb besides. He is a trapped animal in an Animal's world it seems. He only wants to escape this foreign world, and he has no interest in the Ugly Duckling so long as the Duckling does not interact with him.
I do appreciate the ways with which Bromley plays with the placement of the text, however, though at times it did make it a tad difficult to trace, and I appreciate to his use of the space between the pages.
The ending leaves open sequels, opens the possibility of a crocodile interrupting other books too.
UPDATED!!
Originally published on my blog, Nine Pages .
I first read this book in March 2013. I had complaints then: It reminded me of other books, it didn’t interact with the reader as fully as it could have done, nor did the characters interact with each other as much as they could have done. Those complaints are still valid, but I had a lot more fun with it this past month when I read it for story time. The book begins as an adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling,” but the s distracted by the sight of a green tail on one of the pages, which the duckling chases out of his book, discovering it to be a crocodile in the following pages. The crocodile starts to eat up the text, letter by letter, then whole sentences at a time while the duckling begs him to leave off as best he can without a few letters: “St p! Mr. Cr c dile!” To stop him, the duckling suggests the reader rock the crocodile to sleep and while the crocodile is asleep the duckling draws a pink tutu, ballet slippers, and bow on him to make him less scary, but this only, understandably, makes the crocodile angrier, and I don’t like the implication that it’s okay to mess with someone who’s asleep. The duckling is given the power of speech, but the crocodile remains silent and menacing, an animal stuck in an Animal’s world, as I put it in 2013. In the end, the crocodile chews his way out of the book, leaving a hole in the last pages and back cover. There’s no knowing where this loose crocodile could turn up again, and I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been a sequel. This book plays with space and format well, but while I understand that a rational discussion between two Animals would have made for a very different story, the taunting and harassment of the animal by an Animal does not sit well with me. I appreciate this book more than I did for its interactive elements and it’s creative illustrations, so I’m giving it three stars instead of the two I did in 2013.
Ordinarily I really enjoy picture books that play with the fourth wall. I like the interaction of character and reader. Maybe that was where this book fell a little flat for me. The Ugly Duckling, while recognizing his audience and his existence within a book, does not much interact with the audience because he is so focused on ridding his tale of the crocodile.
Open Very Carefully also lacked the interaction of two characters such as is in the longer and more mature The Stinky Cheese and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Jon Scieszka). The crocodile is all but mute and is dumb besides. He is a trapped animal in an Animal's world it seems. He only wants to escape this foreign world, and he has no interest in the Ugly Duckling so long as the Duckling does not interact with him.
I do appreciate the ways with which Bromley plays with the placement of the text, however, though at times it did make it a tad difficult to trace, and I appreciate to his use of the space between the pages.
The ending leaves open sequels, opens the possibility of a crocodile interrupting other books too.
UPDATED!!
Originally published on my blog, Nine Pages .
I first read this book in March 2013. I had complaints then: It reminded me of other books, it didn’t interact with the reader as fully as it could have done, nor did the characters interact with each other as much as they could have done. Those complaints are still valid, but I had a lot more fun with it this past month when I read it for story time. The book begins as an adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling,” but the s distracted by the sight of a green tail on one of the pages, which the duckling chases out of his book, discovering it to be a crocodile in the following pages. The crocodile starts to eat up the text, letter by letter, then whole sentences at a time while the duckling begs him to leave off as best he can without a few letters: “St p! Mr. Cr c dile!” To stop him, the duckling suggests the reader rock the crocodile to sleep and while the crocodile is asleep the duckling draws a pink tutu, ballet slippers, and bow on him to make him less scary, but this only, understandably, makes the crocodile angrier, and I don’t like the implication that it’s okay to mess with someone who’s asleep. The duckling is given the power of speech, but the crocodile remains silent and menacing, an animal stuck in an Animal’s world, as I put it in 2013. In the end, the crocodile chews his way out of the book, leaving a hole in the last pages and back cover. There’s no knowing where this loose crocodile could turn up again, and I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been a sequel. This book plays with space and format well, but while I understand that a rational discussion between two Animals would have made for a very different story, the taunting and harassment of the animal by an Animal does not sit well with me. I appreciate this book more than I did for its interactive elements and it’s creative illustrations, so I’m giving it three stars instead of the two I did in 2013.
June 7, 2013
Are you looking for some laugh out-loud fun? What starts out as a sweet retelling of The Ugly Duckling,
turns into a story hijacked by an annoying crocodile. The Ugly Duckling does not have time to be
concerned that his siblings are beautiful; he has to get rid of a pesky crocodile.
“Watch out! He’s on the move. What is he doing? He’s eating the letters! He must be hungry!”
Get ready for an interactive adventure with each page turn. Can you help the Ugly Duckling?
“Now he’s gobbling up….whole words and sentences! We can’t have a book without words! What
will we read…if there aren’t any sentences? We’ve got to make him stop…”
Young readers will have to rock the book side to side on one page and shake it on another. Armed with
a crayon, the Ugly Duckling adds his own artistic touch. Make sure your little ones know that the Ugly
Duckling’s crayon is part of the story. You don’t want to start finding surprises in all of your books.
Teachers, parents, and children will enjoy this fun story-time adventure. The playful font is big and the
placement of words on the page is creative. Bold illustrations are lively and the oversize book enhances
the reading experience. Similar to a sturdy board book, the stiff pages scream that this story is ready for
some action! The author does a great job with the narrative text that speaks directly to the audience.
Young readers will enjoy anticipating what will happen next as they help the Ugly Duckling throughout
the story.
turns into a story hijacked by an annoying crocodile. The Ugly Duckling does not have time to be
concerned that his siblings are beautiful; he has to get rid of a pesky crocodile.
“Watch out! He’s on the move. What is he doing? He’s eating the letters! He must be hungry!”
Get ready for an interactive adventure with each page turn. Can you help the Ugly Duckling?
“Now he’s gobbling up….whole words and sentences! We can’t have a book without words! What
will we read…if there aren’t any sentences? We’ve got to make him stop…”
Young readers will have to rock the book side to side on one page and shake it on another. Armed with
a crayon, the Ugly Duckling adds his own artistic touch. Make sure your little ones know that the Ugly
Duckling’s crayon is part of the story. You don’t want to start finding surprises in all of your books.
Teachers, parents, and children will enjoy this fun story-time adventure. The playful font is big and the
placement of words on the page is creative. Bold illustrations are lively and the oversize book enhances
the reading experience. Similar to a sturdy board book, the stiff pages scream that this story is ready for
some action! The author does a great job with the narrative text that speaks directly to the audience.
Young readers will enjoy anticipating what will happen next as they help the Ugly Duckling throughout
the story.
May 26, 2013
A little thin overall, though the hole is an awesome surprise on first viewing. Also, the tutu and bows are bothering me a bit; seems like some gender-based stereotyping that didn't need to be there. Couldn't they have drawn polka dots and smiley faces to achieve the same effect?
December 18, 2014
This is the cutest children's book I've seen! This is so clever in that it's interactive, and different! Our little 4 year old covers his eyes every time he reads about the author making fun of the crocodile by drawing a tutu on him........ So cute!
November 19, 2020
This book is so much fun! A KS1 class would adore the interactive and funny side of this book. Cleverly plays with the idea of a book in a fun way, and the twist at the end where the crocodile eats a hole in the book to crawl out I can see children really enjoying!
December 11, 2013
A great, fun book to read with 3 and up. With the very young you have to explain the little ugly duckling's presence.
September 5, 2015
Thanks again Aunt Janet! The kids have loved this, especially Ethan. I don't think we've been able to read this just once in a sitting. We usually have to read this at least 3 times before moving on.
December 18, 2015
My 5-year-old very much liked the hole in the back of the book where the crocodile had munched his way out!
March 24, 2017
Great, fun story about a crocodile taking over a fairy tale! Very interactive- would be great for a group! Reminds me of "Press Here"
November 1, 2017
We read this as a big group outside and acted out the actions in the book, very interactive book and the kids loved it!
June 22, 2018
Very funny book, the crocodile is sooo cool and the duckling melted my heart. What a pair!
February 28, 2022
Picked this up for Storytime. It was a really fun read. I think the tutu and ballerina bit were the biggest hit. Probably could've used more silliness along these lines. I think Jeffers' Stuck only beat it out in laughs by a small margin.
October 31, 2021
Great fun!
February 9, 2021
Non le crocodile ne devient pas ridicule lorsqu’il porte un tutu. Le crocodile est très beau en tutu.
November 30, 2013
I am thinking about Christmas and whether I focus on it on the blog a little with it being, well, the run up towards Christmas. The problem I have is that I think there's not really any specific book I would reccomend you purchase as a present (for, I hope, if it were worth featuring, I would feature it irrespective of it's present potential and of the time of year) and I'm not particularly timely with my reccomendations at times (what with being wed to my library and their purchasing patterns). So I think, perhaps, what I can and will do is this.
I will feature books like Open Very Carefully : A Book With Bite and I shall feature them because of what they do. And in a way, it's through that 'what they do' that they earn their worth. One of the greatest things I could ask you to think about and to give to others if you can or want to, is a confidence with reading. I think sometimes we are afraid of reading, wrapping it up in an inapproachable mysticism and books full of dull and worthy 'let's learn to read today, kids!'. I learnt to read a long time ago, but I did not learn the difference between active and passive reading until fairly recently.
And that difference is embodied in books like this. Open Very Carefully is an imprint from the increasingly impressive Nosy Crow publishing house and it is, at first, a very simple looking picture book. The paper is weighty, the art fairly straightforward and as we go in, it appears we'll be reading a book called 'The Ugly Duckling'. But that title's been scribbled across and the words: OPEN VERY CAREFULLY are scrawled across the double page spread.
(This is perhaps my only issue with Open Very Carefully in that it flirts on the edge of brilliance. I almost want it to go one step beyond - to have this 'The Ugly Duckling' as the front page spread instead of the actual cover. It's a little bit back to front, with a front cover telling us what the book is inside and then we step back to read what it was and then we read what it is. I long for that front cover to be this spread with the wording wrapped around it like police hazard tape and daring us to go inside. It is so close to brilliant this book).
Once we start reading, we discover that the innocent story of The Ugly Duckling has been invaded. There is a CROCODILE in this book: "A Really big scary one!" This is when Open Very Carefully starts to make my heart sing. We have the Crocodile eating letters ("I think his favourite letters to eat are O and S") which means that we have moments like: "St p! / Mr Cr c dile!" / Y u can't eat the letter !"). We have to rock the book: "backwards and forwards" to rock the crocodile to sleep. This level of audience participation continues throughout: "Maybe if you shake the book he'll / fall / out." It's glorious stuff - and it's through this level of interactive reading, this, for want of a better phrase, of getting up close and personal with the book, that makes readers confident. You're showing them the power of words - and what's more important is that you're showing them that they - that they, themselves can do this. They can make it happen!
Now that I think about it, Open Very Carefully really is a bit of a gift. Through clever storytelling and beautiful construction (the 'cut-outs' towards the end are very nicely done), and some very subtly provocative text, we have something rather special. It's not Christmasy at all (perhaps the bobble hat on the duckling gives it a Winter flavour?) but it is one of the cleverest picture books I've read for a long time. Reminiscent of the great, great "Who's afraid of the big bad book", Open Very Carefully is very close to perfect.
NB: Please note a copy of this was received from the publisher. This review is my honest and distinctly joyous opinion.
I will feature books like Open Very Carefully : A Book With Bite and I shall feature them because of what they do. And in a way, it's through that 'what they do' that they earn their worth. One of the greatest things I could ask you to think about and to give to others if you can or want to, is a confidence with reading. I think sometimes we are afraid of reading, wrapping it up in an inapproachable mysticism and books full of dull and worthy 'let's learn to read today, kids!'. I learnt to read a long time ago, but I did not learn the difference between active and passive reading until fairly recently.
And that difference is embodied in books like this. Open Very Carefully is an imprint from the increasingly impressive Nosy Crow publishing house and it is, at first, a very simple looking picture book. The paper is weighty, the art fairly straightforward and as we go in, it appears we'll be reading a book called 'The Ugly Duckling'. But that title's been scribbled across and the words: OPEN VERY CAREFULLY are scrawled across the double page spread.
(This is perhaps my only issue with Open Very Carefully in that it flirts on the edge of brilliance. I almost want it to go one step beyond - to have this 'The Ugly Duckling' as the front page spread instead of the actual cover. It's a little bit back to front, with a front cover telling us what the book is inside and then we step back to read what it was and then we read what it is. I long for that front cover to be this spread with the wording wrapped around it like police hazard tape and daring us to go inside. It is so close to brilliant this book).
Once we start reading, we discover that the innocent story of The Ugly Duckling has been invaded. There is a CROCODILE in this book: "A Really big scary one!" This is when Open Very Carefully starts to make my heart sing. We have the Crocodile eating letters ("I think his favourite letters to eat are O and S") which means that we have moments like: "St p! / Mr Cr c dile!" / Y u can't eat the letter !"). We have to rock the book: "backwards and forwards" to rock the crocodile to sleep. This level of audience participation continues throughout: "Maybe if you shake the book he'll / fall / out." It's glorious stuff - and it's through this level of interactive reading, this, for want of a better phrase, of getting up close and personal with the book, that makes readers confident. You're showing them the power of words - and what's more important is that you're showing them that they - that they, themselves can do this. They can make it happen!
Now that I think about it, Open Very Carefully really is a bit of a gift. Through clever storytelling and beautiful construction (the 'cut-outs' towards the end are very nicely done), and some very subtly provocative text, we have something rather special. It's not Christmasy at all (perhaps the bobble hat on the duckling gives it a Winter flavour?) but it is one of the cleverest picture books I've read for a long time. Reminiscent of the great, great "Who's afraid of the big bad book", Open Very Carefully is very close to perfect.
NB: Please note a copy of this was received from the publisher. This review is my honest and distinctly joyous opinion.
March 24, 2025
Zo leuk voor kleuters! De spanning en betrokkenheid is hoog.
February 9, 2015
Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite is a book that right from the start you know you will be in for a humorous read. As the story begins there is a simple story of the ugly duckling that seems to have a twist because by there is a creatures tail in the side of the page right by the text. As you turn the page you realize that this creature is a chubby friendly looking crocodile. The ugly duckling addresses the reader in asking what has interrupted his story. The crocodile does not appear to be scary even when he starts to eat the letters of the text. The narrator does a very good job incorporating the readers in trying to stop the mayhem of the crocodile there for they can carry on with the story. They end up putting the crocodile to sleep and drawing on him making him look like a ballerina. This crocodile never really seemed scary but this made the whole story a little more lighthearted and playful. The crocodile finally tries to exit the story but jams his face up against the corners of the book until it is broken back cover.
Nick Bromley does a fantastic job including the reader and interplaying the text and illustrations so the stories keep everyone engaged. I almost felt like all of my senses were being engaged. Every reader no matter what age can find something sweet and funny about this story. The innovative and unusual layout gave the story a very vibrant feel and always helped elaborate on the mood for the rest of the story line. Additionally, it was very creative of the author to have the character attempt to escape the story and not being able to leave the pages. It was very unique and shows how involved everything was in the pages as if there was no such outside world.
This book is a phenomenal read for children who already know the story of the ugly duckling because then they can focus on the new story line. I can imagine it being slightly difficult for a young child to fully understand the story be able to make the most of the story like others who already know how it goes. I would recommend this story to anyone who needs a great book for a child to laugh and feel engaged in because it is a really fun read!
Nick Bromley does a fantastic job including the reader and interplaying the text and illustrations so the stories keep everyone engaged. I almost felt like all of my senses were being engaged. Every reader no matter what age can find something sweet and funny about this story. The innovative and unusual layout gave the story a very vibrant feel and always helped elaborate on the mood for the rest of the story line. Additionally, it was very creative of the author to have the character attempt to escape the story and not being able to leave the pages. It was very unique and shows how involved everything was in the pages as if there was no such outside world.
This book is a phenomenal read for children who already know the story of the ugly duckling because then they can focus on the new story line. I can imagine it being slightly difficult for a young child to fully understand the story be able to make the most of the story like others who already know how it goes. I would recommend this story to anyone who needs a great book for a child to laugh and feel engaged in because it is a really fun read!
September 30, 2014
If you are looking to get a child to laugh, this book could be it. In Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite, the ugly duckling who happens to be the narrator of the story. As we follow the story with the fairy tale character the ugly duckling he is interrupted by a crocodile. Throughout the story the ugly duckling tries to tell his story but keeps being interrupted by the crocodile who eventually eats his way out of the book. Hence the title A Book with Bite.
First off, in this picture book the narrator talks to you and interactive with you. You can almost say the characters come to life. They know they are in a book and are telling a story. The characters bring you into the story and I think this is what will keep children interested. Because the child will feel an attachment of being apart of the book when they read they will stay intrigued.
The humor in this book is awesome, as mentioned if you want a laugh out of a child. The crocodile fighting with the ugly duckling is written is such a creative and funny way. The way they constantly fight though out the book a child can relate this to a sibling that maybe constantly bugs while they are trying to get something done. Also the way they talk to us the readers is very creative. The style of the author keeps the child interested and wandering what will happen next.
The illustrations also go very well with the text. My favorite part and what will probably be a child favorite part is when the crocodile physically bites a whole so he can exit the book. This may be one of the most creative illustrations I've seen. The child will want to feel, look and probably find humor in this page of the book. The hole that the crocodile "bites" through the book shows the characters are alive, in first person and are having a relationship with their reader, almost as if you yourself are in the book which the child may feel when reading a book like this. I would personally want to read this to my students in the future.
First off, in this picture book the narrator talks to you and interactive with you. You can almost say the characters come to life. They know they are in a book and are telling a story. The characters bring you into the story and I think this is what will keep children interested. Because the child will feel an attachment of being apart of the book when they read they will stay intrigued.
The humor in this book is awesome, as mentioned if you want a laugh out of a child. The crocodile fighting with the ugly duckling is written is such a creative and funny way. The way they constantly fight though out the book a child can relate this to a sibling that maybe constantly bugs while they are trying to get something done. Also the way they talk to us the readers is very creative. The style of the author keeps the child interested and wandering what will happen next.
The illustrations also go very well with the text. My favorite part and what will probably be a child favorite part is when the crocodile physically bites a whole so he can exit the book. This may be one of the most creative illustrations I've seen. The child will want to feel, look and probably find humor in this page of the book. The hole that the crocodile "bites" through the book shows the characters are alive, in first person and are having a relationship with their reader, almost as if you yourself are in the book which the child may feel when reading a book like this. I would personally want to read this to my students in the future.
January 17, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello everybody! Today, we read Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite, illustrated by Nicola O’Byrne and written by Nick Bromley (while the author is typically billed first on the cover, in this case the illustrator is). This is a very silly and fun interactive book in which a crocodile invades a copy of The Ugly Duckling and wreaks havoc by eating the letters, then the words, then whole sentences! The Ugly Duckling and the reader must work together to subdue this troublesome reptile and determine a way to get him out of the book!
I’m sure that summary doesn’t make much sense! This is an interactive book, which are almost always a hoot for older readers, and this one is very funny and entertaining. Even a younger reader like JJ can have some fun with it, shaking the book when prompted and playing with the cutouts. The length is just fine for a baby bookworm, and the illustrations were colorful and full of personality, which she loves. This is a fine book for baby bookworms, and an even better one for older readers, too! Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
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October 13, 2019Lovely story and great illustrations, receptions would love it and following the holes in the book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2013
This book is a fun read aloud for older preschoolers and kindergarteners. It is truly a celebration of print awareness, a literacy skill that libraries and school work hard to embed in children before they begin first grade. The book begins by referencing a classic children's story, The Ugly Duckling. It then introduces "something in this book that shouldn't be here!" That something is a big crocodile who eats letters, words, and sentences. The book has you move the book (rock it from side to side). It plays with the structure of the book (torn page that is crocked, drawing on the crocodile, hole in the middle of a page, and hole in the cover). It asks questions throughout, getting the young listener to respond to the book. I can see how and older grade teacher could use this book as a prompt for a writing assignment, asking kids to create their own book, using another story as a jumping off point. Better yet, I can see this as a prompt for an art project which would involve taking old picture books, glue, pages cut from other books, crayons, paint, scissors, to make new stories.
At first glance, it is easy to think of this book as a fractured fairytale, but it really doesn't use the storyline or moral of the The Ugly Duckling. The Ugly Duckling is character that appears wih the Crocodile throughout the book, but the story really belongs to the Crocodile. So, I wouldn't group it with fractured fairytales, but with other books that emphasize print awareness and interaction.
At first glance, it is easy to think of this book as a fractured fairytale, but it really doesn't use the storyline or moral of the The Ugly Duckling. The Ugly Duckling is character that appears wih the Crocodile throughout the book, but the story really belongs to the Crocodile. So, I wouldn't group it with fractured fairytales, but with other books that emphasize print awareness and interaction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2014
This story starts off by saying it's going to tell the tale of the ugly duckling. As you turn the next page their is a crocodile tail on the right side of the page and the narrator seems confused asking what could a crocodile possibly be doing in this story? The story continues on and the crocodile even starts to eat the words in the story! The crocodile wants to get out of the story but can't seem to find it's way. He decides to just eat through the pages until he is out and he leaves a hole in the page in doing so!
I liked how the author organized the text in this book. He didn't make it boring to read and he had the text go from left to right to up and down. I thought it was humorous when he said that the crocodile was deciding to eat all the O's so the author took out all of the O's in the text on that scene. It was very clever and a child would think that's very funny and would have a fun time reading it.
The illustrator really made the illustrations come to life and that's what made reading this book so much more enjoyable. When the crocodile was trying to escape the book, the illustrator made it seem like he hit a wall when he ran into the far right page. He made his body all scrunched up like he had come to a halting stop. The illustrations always followed the text and it was easy to keep up with.
I liked how the author organized the text in this book. He didn't make it boring to read and he had the text go from left to right to up and down. I thought it was humorous when he said that the crocodile was deciding to eat all the O's so the author took out all of the O's in the text on that scene. It was very clever and a child would think that's very funny and would have a fun time reading it.
The illustrator really made the illustrations come to life and that's what made reading this book so much more enjoyable. When the crocodile was trying to escape the book, the illustrator made it seem like he hit a wall when he ran into the far right page. He made his body all scrunched up like he had come to a halting stop. The illustrations always followed the text and it was easy to keep up with.
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