Adelaide is a very handy little girl. She can make all kinds of things in a mad-inventor, hit-or-miss kind of way. Nothing seems to go quite according to plan, including when she bakes a cake. As she cracks one of the eggs, out falls not the anticipated yolk and egg white, but a crocodile!
Adelaide names him Ozzy. She loves him, he loves her. One problem: she's not allowed a pet.
Not a problem! She'll disguise him … as a doll. And so 'crocodolly' is born!
Of course, Ozzy keeps growing. Soon people start to notice that Adelaide's doll is rather large and unusual. Eventually they notice he's actually a crocodile. Adelaide realises she can't keep him, but what's going to happen to Ozzy now?
I laughed through every page of this book. The minimal text lets the images do the talking, and the illustrations are simply sublime. The scenes, the expressions, the little details — all perfect. Even the endpapers are worth close inspection.
Martin McKenna is now on my list of favourite authors. I like the way his mind works!
Title: The Crocodolly
Author/Illustrator: Martin McKenna
Publisher: Omnibus, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: September 2015
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742990712
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book
