Little Croc's purse by Lizzie Finlay
Red Fox, 2010. ISBN 9781862309067.
(Ages 3-7) Highly recommended. If you are in any doubt that
crocodiles are
actually delightfully appealing creatures then read Little
Croc's Purse. This is another triumph from Lizzie Finlay,
whose first book Danylion was one of
my top books of 2009.
Little Croc discovers a purse
full of coins
during a game of hide and seek. His friends try to persuade him to keep
it as
'no one returns things nowadays'. But Little Croc has plenty of moral
fibre and
as the story unfolds he manages to resist the temptation to shop,
requests from
a good cause and sly old Murdock, the bully. He delivers the purse to
the
police station and Mrs Doolally, the owner reveals the secret of the
purse and
rewards Little Croc for his honesty. Little Croc is delighted with his
reward
and decides to spend some, share some and save some, a message which in
our
debt ridden society it is probably good to start teaching at an early
age.
With Finlay's now
characteristic
combination of artistic styles Little
Croc's purse has a fresh and engaging feel. My three year old
goddaughter
loved the collage roses on Mrs Doolally's hat and we both spent ages
poring
over the pictures. Each page layout is a perfect balance of text and
illustration and there is plenty in this story to delight adults and
children
alike. I can't help feeling that anyone who can succeed in making a
crocodile
look vulnerable must be a genius!
Claire Larson