Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Croc and bird by Alexis Deacon

Two eggs lie side by side on the sand and one hatches out as a crocodile, while the other hatches out as a bird - it seems like a recipe for disaster, but it is actually the recipe for one of the sweetest and charming books I have read in the past few years.  What could easily have become a saccharine sweet story is instead a touching story with charm that makes you laugh out loud at times - especially when you see what the two different "brothers" get up to.

I loved this book and have shown it to everyone I can find at work, and everyone has had a similar reaction - they found it touching, and charming, and enjoyed reading it before passing it on to the next person.  The illustrations are part of the charm of this story, simple illustrations that appear to be watercolour, against a sad coloured paper, and with many of the pages framed rather than using the whole page.  The characters are drawn, but not in incredible detail, and in many ways it adds to the story, making it feel a little like a story from another time - but a story that is still relevant today.

A great story about how being different is not actually a problem - and that you don't have to be the same to get along (and that sometimes your brother may not look quite how you expected!).

If you like this book then try: Beegu by Alexis Deacon, Kitten's first full moon by Kevin Henkes, Tadpole's promise by Jeanne Willis; illustrated by Tony Ross, and Bark, George by Jules Feiffer.

~ Reviewed by Elspeth Sweetman

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