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Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz

 

PRINCESS CORA AND THE CROCODILE
Written by Laura Amy Schlitz
Illustrated by Brian Floca
(Candlewick Press; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

 

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz cvr image

 

Starred Reviews- Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal

Princess Cora and the Crocodile is an 80-page illustrated early chapter book about a princess who must always be a “good girl.” When Princess Cora’s Fairy Godmother answers her wish for a pet, instead of the “great, furry, golden dog” of her dreams, the princess receives a headstrong crocodile. He tries to give Cora a day off and, because the three adults in charge of the princess’s rigorous schedule barely glance at the girl, the crocodile’s disguise initially succeeds.

The ensuing mischief will tickle children—they are insiders on silliness being played on the rigid, demanding authority figures. The crocodile tries to not swat anyone with his tail or bite them, but succumbs when instigated. Kids will laugh as he rips the King’s trousers and chews on his rear end. Meanwhile, instead of bathing, studying, and skipping rope, Princess Cora relaxes in nature. After the crocodile’s overzealous intervention, Princess Cora returns to set things right. The adults finally register the girl’s dissatisfaction and recognize other ways to properly raise a princess.

Floca’s ink, watercolor, and gouache images capture the humor as both the crocodile (dressed in a frock and mop wig) and the princess come undone. The crocodile’s antics cleverly contrast against Princess Cora’s quiet day.

A skilled storyteller, Schlitz satisfies her audience utilizing a child’s universal wishes. Princess Cora and the Crocodile will delight early readers as well as younger children. The heart of this princess and animal tale shows a kid needing a break from adult-imposed overscheduling—a message with modern appeal.

  • Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt

Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com

@WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

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Picture Books Giveaway Celebration

WIN WONDERFUL PICTURE BOOKS!

*We’re so thankful to you, our readers. You care about sharing the best books with your children and we do, too. So as promised, after reaching 2000 Twitter followers, we are now celebrating with a “We’re Grateful for You Gargantuan Giveaway” worth over $200 just in time for the holidays. Click the links to read our reviews of the books because you’ll see we’ve included lots of our faves.

To enter the Rafflecopter please scroll down, read the instructions, remember to subscribe to our site, and leave a comment on this post below about what you’d do with this bevy of beautiful books should you have the good fortune to win. We’d also love it if you LIKED the blog on Facebook, though it’s not mandatory to enter. Good luck!

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*We = Ronna, Hilary, Rita, MaryAnne, Cathy, Dornel, Mary, Rina & Krista

The 13 books you can win are:

Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood with illustrations by Jonathan Bean – Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox with illustrations by Brian Floca – Published by Schwartz & Wade Books
Elsa and the Night by Jöns Mellgren -Published by Little Gestalten
Frank! by Connah Brecon – Published by Running Press
Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Perl with illustrations by Arthur Howard – Published by Beach Lane Books
Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light – Published by Candlewick Press
Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper with illustrations by Raúl The Third – Published by Chronicle Books
Me First by Max Kornell – Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet – Published by Chronicle Books
Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon – Published by Bloomsbury
Robots, Robots Everywhere! by Sue Fliess with illustrations by Bob Staake – Published by Golden Books
Tippy and the Night Parade by Lilli Carré – Published by Toon Books
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Jigsaw Puzzle Book by Michael Rosen with illustrations by Helen Oxenbury – Published by Candlewick Press

It’s easy to enter our “We’re Grateful for You Gargantuan Giveaway.” Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions in the widget below. There’s one mandatory entry and a few optional entries. Feel free to enter more than once to increase your chances of winning!

Remember to enter by December 15th. Rafflecopter widget will randomly select a winner whose name will be announced on the Good Reads With Ronna Facebook page, on Twitter, and on the Rafflecopter widget right here. – make sure you’re following us so you don’t miss a thing!

Good luck – We hope you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox and Illustrated by Brian Floca

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox
with Illustrations by Brian Floca
Enchants, Educates and Entertains!

★ Publishers Weekly starred review,
“The low-key text is beautifully amplified by Floca’s visual narrative, which takes readers from the busy downtown to distant, misty shores.”

Elizabeth-Queen-Seas-cvr.jpgLet’s head down under for a tale inspired by the true story of an elephant seal who, rather than live amongst her fellow seals, chose to make her home in the Avon River of Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas (Schwartz & Wade Books, $17.99, Ages 4-8), by champion swimmer and bestselling author Lynne Cox, is one of those feel-good stories that will bring a smile to readers’ faces not only because of its cheerful images and happy ending, but because of the care one community showed to a determined mammal. Pair these positives and the easy-to-read prose with 2014 Caldecott Medal winner Brian Floca’s just perfect pen, ink and watercolor artwork and you’ve got a winning combination. And like the Avon River where much of the story’s action takes place, Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas flows in a most delightful direction.

In an Author’s Note in the beginning of the book, we learn how, many years ago, before heading home to California from Christchurch, Cox met a boy called Michael and his sister Maggie. They shared the story of this eight foot long, 2000 plus pound animal who preferred the coziness of the Avon’s “sweet shallow waters” to the open sea. What comes next is amazing.

When Elizabeth made herself comfortable one day by stretching out across the two-lane road in the city center, things got dangerous. Brakes screeched and cars veered off the road to avoid hitting Elizabeth. Soon citizen grew alarmed, not just for the safety of the seal, but for drivers who might cause accidents trying not to kill the massive mammal. Even three attempts to relocate Elizabeth far from the Avon River proved futile.  She kept returning. Something about this river and this city spoke to her.

The people of Christchurch, including Michael who, in addition to one very charming elephant seal, is the other main character in this picture book, were so enamored with the mammal that they “put up a sign on the road where she liked to sleep.”

SLOW.
ELEPHANT
SEAL
CROSSING

And do you know what happened next? Elizabeth became a city slicker!

The back matter includes interesting facts about elephant seals including how much a bull (the male) can weigh, how long they can remain under water before coming up for air, a black and white photo of the real Elizabeth, and details about a new important role elephant seals are playing in science with their ability to explore the oceans’ depths.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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