Eva Montanari

**Received as a finished copy from the publisher.

This was a pretty cute illustrated book for children, but it wasn’t as successful as I thought it would be. Montanari’s simple crayon illustrations are vibrant and playful, carrying readers through an eventful day in the life of a crocodile and its child, but the accompanying text is distinctly lacklustre. The pair wake up in their tent and journey to the beach, having a fantastic time in the sun with plenty of games, before going home to say goodnight to the day. This narrative should be full of adventure and fun, and it definitely matches that energy visually, but instead of narrating the story outright Montanari chooses instead to emphasise the various noise elements that accompany the pair’s journey. I am sure that reading this text would be fun for a child who wants to simply learn about and imitate the noises of the wide world, but I was disappointed not to have a more concrete story. Sound elements are a great way to engage young readers, but I feel like the book would have been far stronger if we had also gotten a chance to engage with the other senses as the story progresses or to make up our own story (and noises), sans text!… (more)