After A While Crocodile: Alexa's Diary by Dr. Brady Barr & Jennifer Keats Curtis, illustrated by Susan Detwiler [Review & Giveaway]

About the book: Alexa and the other children at her escuela in Costa Rica have a special project: they are raising American Crocodiles. She names her croc Jefe, which means "boss," because he seems to be in charge of all the other babies. Alexa brings him chicken and frogs to eat, and writes about his progress in her diary. Soon, her little hatchling is as big as a loaf of bread. He has grown into a juvenile and it is time for Alexa to say goodbye and for Jefe to return to the wild.

My thoughts: I found it interesting that children are raising crocodiles as a school project. Environmentalists surely think this is a good idea, but personally I think that project would be best left in the hands of adults. Children can be helpers (not necessarily hands on) and keep their own records of the progress of the project. Well, that being said.....

This is a cute book tracking Alexa's involvement in the American Crocodile project. She captures frogs and insects which she feeds to the crocodiles along with chicken. Her school has a garden, also. 

After A While Crocodile sprinkles words in Spanish throughout the text with the English word in parentheses with it. A nice opportunity to see Spanish words in context and perhaps reinforce these words as part of the Spanish curriculum in either classroom or homeschool. 

The object of the project managed by Dr. Brady Barr and team is to save and/or protect the endangered American Crocodile. They find and retrieve eggs and then allow them to hatch and be raised in a protected environment. The children, Alexa included, participate with hands on experience.

The photographs are fantastic and the information is well presented and detailed. I think this was a great project in which the children could participate and the information presented in the book will appeal to many.

A reminder that children should be taught that this was a controlled project and the crocodiles were released into the wild as soon as they were able to care for themselves.

The "For Creative Minds" back pages are chock full of interesting information for further study and investigation.

GIVEAWAY

Arbordale Publishing is graciously providing a copy
for one of Chat With Vera's readers to win!
Begins October 30

ENDS November 19 @ 12:01 a.m. ET

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a Rafflecopter giveawayDISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Arbordale Publishing to facilitate a review of my own opinions. I was not compensated.