Crock o' Clock

No wonder the big Croc is getting bigger and bigger. In this accumulating tale, keepers at the zoo feed Croc an astonishing amount, on the hour, from one through till twelve o’clock, all foods which will be recognizable to any small reader. One o’clock begins with a mountain of macaroni, and follows swiftly with three French Fries at three o’clock, four pumpkin pies at four o’clock. But the fun is in that not only is a new food added at each hour, but the preceding foods are given too! By the time five o’clock comes round, readers realise that the tale can be sung to the tune of the twelve days of Christmas, the clue being ‘5 doughnut riiiings!’  Whilst the clock ticks, Croc is still hungry for more. Most of the tempting foods are alliterative, so the text is great fun to read – and sing – aloud. The illustrator has enjoyed adding each and all of those tempting treats, and there is the little bird we met on page one, who has watched as Croc gets bigger and bigger on each spread. How does this cautionary tale end? Cunningly, with a very small vegetable offering after a very large POP! With engaging illustrations and the text enlarging with each added eat treat, early reading is a real possibility for participating youngsters. This would be an amazing song to sing out from the back of the holidaying/shopping car, the coach taking the class on an outing, or when tidying the classroom in preparation for lunch! It would be a delightful jumping off point for individual written variations, along with great opportunities for collaborative artwork. Well worth seeking out.