Brock the Croc (Adrian Beck, illus Dean Rankine, Larrikin House)

Brock the Croc is a humorous early chapter book for kids aged 7+ who have recently become comfortable with independent reading. Brock is the only crocodile in the swamp, and he likes it that way. He basks in the attention, riding his motorbike and throwing elaborate parties. All the other animals love him and enjoy hearing his stories—at the centre of which he is always the hero. However, when humans set up a building site next door, Brock and his friends discover that their swamp is set to be filled in with concrete. All the animals turn to Brock for help; after all, he is always the hero. But can Brock live up to his tall tales and save the day? Adrian Beck (Little Legends series) has written a wacky, high-energy story with a loveable protagonist. Dean Rankine’s illustrations give it a slightly comic-book feel and will elicit lots of laughs from kids. While the story is goofy and sometimes a bit gross, there is an underlying message about preserving the environment, looking after our native animals, and preventing overdevelopment. Additionally, it touches on themes of friendship and the power of self-belief. Highly illustrated with lots of bold words and break-out speech bubbles, this is the perfect confidence builder for children moving on from their first chapter books. This is the first in a series, and there are bound to be more fun Brock adventures to come.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Erin Wamala is a teacher librarian and owner of The Kids' Bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews