Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nick Bromley - OPTIONAL

Bromley, Nick Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite, illustrated by Nicola O’Byrne. BOARD BOOK Nosy Crow, 2013. $9. 9780763696306  

While the author tries to tell the story of The Ugly Duckling, he is interrupted by a crocodile who is loose in the book.  A little duckling tries different ways of getting the angry crocodile to calm down, including rocking the book back and forth, but nothing works.  Eventually the crocodile breaks out of the back of the book.  

This is similar to The Monster at the End of this Book from Sesame Street or Press Here by Herve Tulett.  The little duckling tries to tell the reader how to handle the angry crocodile, and has the reader doing different actions throughout the reading to try and make the reader laugh.  At one point the duckling says let’s find a crayon and draw on the crocodile, which isn’t a great suggestion for little kids.  The illustrations are not anything great in this book, even if the actions make for a fun read.  

PRE-K – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.