After A While Crocodile: Alexa's Diary

Helping Animals & Changing Habitats

by Brady Barr, Jennifer Keats Curtis, Susan Detwiler (Illustrations)

Alexa y otros niños de su escuela en Costa Rica tienen un proyecto ellos están criando cocodrilos americanos. Ella nombra a su cocodrilo “Jefe” porque parece que él está a cargo de los otros. Alexa le trae pollo y ranas para comer y escribe acerca de su progreso en su diario. Muy pronto, su pequeño crío está tan grande como una barra grande de pan. Se ha convertido en un cocodrilo joven y es tiempo de que Alexia le diga adiós y que Jefe regrese a la vida salvaje.

Genres: Animals, Science, Childrens, Picture Books, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 25, 2016

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a school in Costa Rica Alexa and her classmates help raise American crocodiles, a species that is threatened with extinction. After herpetologist Brady Barr locates crocodile eggs and brings some of them to the school, the children must wait for them to hatch. In this case, they had a long wait--78 days. From early April to mid-June, Alexa keeps a diary of her observations and reactions to the baby crocodile she names Jefe. She measures him, notes his size and weight and his eating habits, and gives him a good head start on life by protecting him from the predators that might have eaten him in the wild. Although the photographs and illustrations show that Alexa has grown attached to Jefe, she also knows that he belongs in the wild and treats him with respect. Back matter includes four activity pages discussing the teeth of a crocodile, comparing them to those of a human, a brief bio of Dr. Barr who has devoted his life to crocodiles and has the distinction of having captured all 24 species of this animal. Most importantly, there is also information provided about conservation and how humans are destroying their habitat. I cannot imagine anyone reading this book and not becoming more aware of the plight of crocodiles and becoming more committed to saving them or preserving their habitat. Thus, this book makes a good introduction to the topic and will surely prompt readers to want to get involved or learn more about crocodiles.

[Chantel Bahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It fits into so many categories of educational. There are realistic pictures inside which are beautiful and can help the imagination of children a lot with how certain things in a habitat or what an animal may look like. It is interesting to me that the book talks about Costa Rica raising American animals, because American students usually only hear of us raising animals foreign to us. I really liked it and the point of view from which it came. Would highly recommend especially for older elementary aged students.

[Morgan Czopur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a class in Costa Rica who helps raise American crocodiles. This specific specie is unfortunately on the verge of extinction. Brandy Barr locates some crocodile eggs and brings them to the class, where they have to wait for them to hatch. During the long wait, one of the students, Alexa, writes a diary of observations. This can influence students to want to learn more about crocodiles and the habitats they live in.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the real life photographs worked nicely with the water color illustrations. The information would be interesting and clear enough for young readers (early elementary/elementary) to understand. I also liked that it was about young students working on a conservatory project, it would be nice for students to make that connection to the other students in the book.

[Madalyn Bitner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a pretty good read. Alexa, the main character in this book, attends school in Costa Rica, and her and her classmates are able to help raise baby crocodiles. The author provides readers with great information surrounding crocodiles, and how they are a species that needs to be protected. The illustrations are wonderful, and I would definitely recommend this book to reptile lovers!

[Gracie Callia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book both has amazing illustrations and real images of what was happening. I think this book is incredibly educational but also turns the diary into something fun for students to read. This book explains the life of a crocodile, but tells it in a fun way for students to read and also gives a lot of additional information for students.

[Chou Yuko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nice for kids who like animals. One of the students in this book, he writes a diary of observations. I think it can influence students to want to learn more about crocodiles and the habitats they live in.

[Farhana Afroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to know a lot about a crocodile.

[Vera Godley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it interesting that children are raising crocodiles as a school project. Environmentalists surely think this is a good idea, but personally I think that project would be best left in the hands of adults. Children can be helpers (not necessarily hands on) and keep their own records of the progress of the project. Well, that being said.....

This is a cute book tracking Alexa's involvement in the American Crocodile project. She captures frogs and insects which she feeds to the crocodiles along with chicken. Her school has a garden, also.

After A While Crocodile sprinkles words in Spanish throughout the text with the English word in parentheses with it. A nice opportunity to see Spanish words in context and perhaps reinforce these words as part of the Spanish curriculum in either classroom or homeschool.

The object of the project managed by Dr. Brady Barr and team is to save and/or protect the endangered American Crocodile. They find and retrieve eggs and then allow them to hatch and be raised in a protected environment. The children, Alexa included, participate with hands on experience.

The photographs are fantastic and the information is well presented and detailed. I think this was a great project in which the children could participate and the information presented in the book will appeal to many.

A reminder that children should be taught that this was a controlled project and the crocodiles were released into the wild as soon as they were able to care for themselves.

The "For Creative Minds" back pages are chock full of interesting information for further study and investigation.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Arbordale Publishing to facilitate a review of my own opinions. I was not compensated.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free with goodreads first reads.


My son is 5 and loves animals, especially reptiles, of any kind. So naturally he was excited to hear the story of someone close to his age that had actually helped raise one.

Alexa lives in Costa Rica and her class is allowed to help raise baby crocodiles. Not only to help protect the species that is threatened but also to help the children learn about them since they have them in the wild there.

Alexa feeds and measures "Jefe" and then once he is old enough releases him back to the wild.

This book is wonderful. It has plenty of pictures to illustrate the differences between species and of Alexa and Jefe. Also the book helped to incorporate some spanish into our vocabulary with some of the names of the animals being in both English and Spanish.

Overall I think this is a wonderful book and helps to teach kids some fun facts abut crocodiles.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexa’s school in Costa Rica is working on a special conservation project. They are raising American crocodiles brought to them as eggs by Dr. Brady Barr, a scientist and reptile expert. American crocodiles are a threatened species and are key to the ecosystem in the river where they support other living things.

Alexa calls her crocodile Jefe and she keeps a daily diary of his life as he grows strong enough to return to the river. She feeds him pieces of chicken and frog which he swallows whole.

Jefe means “boss” in Spanish. He’s named that because he seems to think he is in charge of the other baby crocodiles. Alexa uses Spanish words throughout her journal, always giving a translation. Photos, taken by Dr. Barr also follow Jefe’s growth and diagrams compare the crocodile with his smaller relative, the spectacled caiman.

The Creative Mind Section at the end of the book includes a fun chart comparing crocodile teeth to those of a child. The crocodile’s teeth are critical to his survival. New teeth grow whenever he loses them. The Arbordale Publishing website offers additional resources and quizzes.

This review appeared first on www.bookloons.com

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Costa Rica, there is a special program for school children who live in a rural area. This program allows children who live near rivers to raise American crocodiles. This is a education and conservation project. Alexa, a young girl at the school, names her crocodile Jefe which means boss in Spanish. She writes about his growth and eating habits. She also writes about her school, and the different types of crocodiles she’s learned about. Colorful photos of the crocodiles hatching, Alexa, and the Rangers are found throughout the pages along with other illustrations. Readers will be engaged as they learn all about crocodiles. Readers will also learn tidbits about raccoons, lizards and a few other peculiar animals. Readers will also learn words in Spanish as they read the diary of Alexa. The back of the book has a Creative Minds section which has fun facts, Croc Conservation and even a section on Dr. Brady Barr. Parents and teachers can open up dialogue with kids and discuss why crocodiles might make a good pet or perhaps not.