The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach
“Floaties, sand bucket, and shovel optional, The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach is all about enjoying an outing with friends.”
Fossil the quiet crocodile is back! Along with all of his funky far-out friends. Previously debuted in The Quite Crocodile (reviewed at NYJB in October 2017), Fossil shows just how mysterious and mischievous he can be using similar fun-loving jovial antics in The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach.
Of course Fossil loves the beach. Why wouldn’t he? He is after all, a crocodile. Fossil arrives seaside, wearing swim goggles and a green sea-star patterned swim suit, carrying two dozen friends on his back. Each friend is decked out with stylish suits and fashionable beach accessories.
One by one the friends leap off Fossil and into the water. Sherry the Sheep, Bubble the Fish, and Rocky the Rooster are the first to take the plunge. Three little dots on the upper left page indicate that three friends are already splish-splashing around. Readers are encouraged to keep count as more and more critters jump on in.
When just about everyone else is enjoying a good refreshing salt-water soak, Fossil’s anxiety kicks in, and we find out he’s actually afraid of the water! Unfathomable for a crocodile. We are never sure what makes Fossil afraid and are left with a vague understanding. Fossil’s friends nevertheless rally around him, encouraging him to test out the water, “There are floaties,” they reason, with which to swim securely.
Shaking off his concerns, Fossil relents, hoisting himself into the water with a grand “SPLASSSHHH” of an entrance. Everyone is tumbled and tousled by the crocodile-sized waves. Even the counting dots in the upper left corner are disheveled.
Fossil’s parting expression reveals how much he enjoys being a rabble-rouser, thus confirming that opening statement that Fossil loves the beach. The expression says it all, identifying what Fossil likes the most about being at the beach—teasing his friends—and creating suspicions that Fossil was feigning fear all along in order to up the ante on his friends’ reactions, heightening their pleasure.
The book is created using the same design schemes as The Quiet Crocodile; readers are lead to count, hunt, and identify, making The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach an interactive endeavor. Plus, Fossil is likely to induce an urge to get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine. Floaties, sand bucket, and shovel optional, The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach is all about enjoying an outing with friends.