Sounds of the Day! What Does Little Crocodile Say? by Eva Montanari

How does the first day of Daycare School go? It begins early....

THE ALARM CLOCK GOES RING! RING!

Daddy Crocodile's morning tickle-tickle earns a "Tee Hee" giggle. With a splash to wash up, it's time to zip-zip up Little Crocodile's pants! He's ready to go ... somewhere!

Their door closes behind with them with a solid...... WUMP!

THE CAR GOES VROOM, VROOM.

And when Dad parks the car, they go up, up, up, to a doorbell that goes...

DING-DONG!

Inside there is Mrs. Elephant, with a cheery good morning to Little Crocodile. And there are what seems like a lot of other little ones, saying lots of things, like "Tweet" and "Meow" and even "Arooo!" Mrs. Elephant takes Little Crocodile up in her arms.

"AND WHAT DOES LITTLE CROCODILE SAY? "WWWWAAAH!"

Wiping away a tear, Dad goes away for the day. Mrs. Elephant holds Little Croc on her lap while she begins to read... "Once Upon A Time." She continues to hold Little Crocodile while she shows him how the toy drum goes Tat-a-Tat and the triangle goes...

TING!

Interes-ting! Little Crocodile joins the band parading all around the playroom, blowing his horn at the end of the line. Soon it is time for (YUM YUM) lunch! And after that, how does naptime go?

ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ zzz zzz zzz!

Time goes fast, and just as Little Crocodile is chasing down a big soapy bubble to pop, there's a sound at the door.

THE DOOR GOES KNOCK KNOCK!

And how does Little Crocodile's first day at daycare go?

It goes great! It ends with the sound of many big kisses for Daddy Crocodile, in Eva Montanari's What Does Little Crocodile Say? (Tundra Books, 2021). As in her first Little Crocodile story, What Does Little Crocodile Say At the Park? author-illustrator Montanari tells the story of a first day away at preschool with the sounds of that big day. Montaneri's charming faux naif illustrations, done in slightly scribbly colored-pencil drawings evoke the mood of this story that ends with an upbeat last sound, "See you tomorrow!" A fine book for reading aloud to youngsters about to leave babysitting behind for the first day of of nursery school, one with several short sight-words good for beginning readers.

Both Sides Now! The Crocodile and the Dentist by Tara Gomi

Crocodile has a toothache.

Dentist fixes teeth.

It's time for the two to get together. But they both have a problem. Croc has a mouth full of scary teeth. Dentist has a room full of scary instruments.

"I'm SCARED!," thinks Crocodile.

"I'm SCARED!" thinks Dentist.

After all, who isn't a little fearful of dentistry? It can hurt.

After all, Crocodile has a mouthful of sharp teeth. They can hurt.

Both are full of fear, but fate has thrust them together. Crocodile knows he needs his tooth fixed. Dentist knows that fixing teeth is his job.

Gingerly Dentist begins to work on Crocodile's tooth, his arm deep inside Crocodile's mouth.

"OUCH! say both, as Croc cringes and closes his mouth on Dentist's arm. But each knows that they must persevere in what has become a mutual enterprise.

And both of them screw their courage up to the sticking point, and soon the dentistry is a done deal in Tara Gomi's The Crocodile and the Dentist (Chronicle Books). It's a simple story with some deep ideas embedded in a humorous tale of characters simultaneously fearful of each other and yet with a mutual goal. While this ironically droll story may not be the best prep for a first trip to the dentist, readers will have to admire the dentist's dedication to his profession and the crocodile's good sense in this cleverly illustrated story easy enough for emergent readers to tackle on their own. And there's an underlying lesson for young ones that sometimes a little pain can prevent a bigger one in the future. Says Kirkus Reviews, "This fun (for readers) dental visit has underlying lessons of empathy, bravery, and good oral hygiene."