Curious about crocodiles by Owen Davey

"The term 'crocodile' or 'crocodilian' is used to describe the roughly 26 species of the order Crocodilia. This order includes species known as 'true crocodiles' as well as alligators, gharials and caimans." And to demonstrate the difference the first page of this fascinating book shows profiles of the differing heads of each species so before a page is turned something new has been learned.

Did you know that crocodiles can live to be over 100 years old, and can climb trees to sunbathe? They can even sense the vibrations from a single drop of water falling from the mouth of a drinking wildebeest over twenty metres away.

This is the seventh book in Owen Davey's fascinating series which includes Bonkers About Beetles and Crazy About Cats as well as Smart About Sharks.

While crocodiles traditionally evoke some degree of fear, the likes of Steve Irwin and Matt Wright, and perhaps even the early Crocodile Dundee, have taken them out of the swamps and the estuaries and given them a profile which means young readers are fascinated by them. So this book with its clear explanations and multitude of diagrams is a great starting point for answering all those questions that little ones invariably have.

After years of experience working with little ones and watching their reading habits, I know that the boys, particularly, like to borrow books about the scariest, fiercest, largest creatures - perhaps as some kind of personal armour - and so this one not only fits perfectly into that category but offers them much to investigate, learn and share in a very accessible format.

Themes: Crocodiles.

Barbara Braxton