Crocodiles are the Best Animals of All by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Hannah Shaw

Crocodiles are the Best Animals of All by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Hannah Shaw is a book that was new to the curriculum lab that I was anxious to read. The cover grabbed my attention and the title was intriguing because I dislike crocodiles. Anyway, after finishing this book I had a smile on my face. This book used rhyme, but it was not overwhelming because not all the lines rhymed. This combined with a quirky story and the extremely colorful pictures that filled the pages make this book one that I would recommend to others.

This book is about a crocodile who believes that crocodiles are the best animals of all, and he is willing to prove it. When the donkey doubts him, other animals challenge him to do the things they are good at. The crocodile can swing like a monkey, nibble grass like rabbits, climb like a mountain goat, hop like a kangaroo, but there is one thing he cannot do. He cannot wiggle his ears like a donkey because crocodiles have no ears! This overly confident crocodile thinks that crocodiles are the best animal of all, but all the other animals think they are the best animal of all. The book ends with the donkey stating, "My ears may wiggle and my teeth may be wonky, but nothing is better than being a donkey!" This makes me think this could become a book with the donkey as the main character in the future.

The illustrations in this book are wonderful. They are more cartoon-like than I typically like, but the colorful pictures and attention to detail was great. It shows that the illustrator, Hannah Shaw, paid great attention to her work. I would be interested to see other books she illustrated.

Crocodiles are the Best Animals of All is a great book that is a fun read. The story is original and pictures are an excellent bonus. I was very impressed with this new book, and I am looking forward to reading more new books to the curriculum lab.