Croc by the Rock

From School Library Journal K-Gr 2—This original story, first published in 2005, has been revised, and the illustrations and cover have been updated. The story features Jake, a very curious boy, walking down the road alone with just his fishing net in hand. As he prepares to fish off the bank, he sees something in the water and his imagination takes off. As other characters come by, Jake shouts "A croc by the rock" and they, too, are curious about what is in the water. An old man arrives in a van and lets his dog jump into the water while others come by with cameras and take photos. Much to everyone's surprise, the "croc" turns out to be just a ball. Jake goes home and comes back to fish in the afternoon and is shocked to find a croc's tooth in his net. A great many details are left to the reader's imagination. Intended for emerging readers, the text features a controlled vocabulary and a large typeface. Each short sentence features a rhyming completion on the next page. Simple illustrations propel the story at a measured pace. VERDICT An additional purchase where libraries are in need of very simple beginning readers.—Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN --This text refers to an alternate