Review - The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach

The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach
by Natacha Andriamirado
illustrated by Delphine Renon
Date: 2019
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Fossil the quiet crocodile loves to go to the beach with his friends. Fippo the Hippo, Sonny the Bunny, Ryan the Lion, and all the rest jump right in and splash about in the waves while Fossil watches from the shore. Could it be that Fossil is scared of the water? What happens when Fossil finally joins them? Is he really as quiet as he seems? Readers can find, name, and count all of Fossil's boisterous friends, as well as the rings, racquets, fishing nets, and shells hidden in the delightful drawings.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book is more about finding things in the pictures than it is about the actual story (which is really weak). In fact, the book would work without any text at all, since there's no plot. Fossil being afraid of the water is kind of meaningless; he still ends up joining his friends with a splash at the end after a little bit of cajoling.

I didn't bother to try to find all of the objects on every page, but I did find a few. All of the animals are colour-coded with a dot, and there's a growing line of dots on each page that seems to signify how many animals have gotten into the water. I'm not sure what the point of that is, other than as something else to count.

I guess I was expecting more of a story. If you're looking for a book where kids can find all the hidden objects, this might be okay. (Although, if that's really what you're after, Jean Marzollo's I Spy books are probably much more fun.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 1/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5