CROCODADDY

A little boy and his father indulge in some splashy imaginative play. A rhyming text details the swimming-trunks– and baseball-cap–clad tot’s interior monologue as he hunts for, taunts and tames his “Crocodaddy:” “Crocodaddy, Crocodaddy, whatcha gonna do? / Crocodaddy hunter is RIDING on you!” Walker’s bright acrylics take all possible menace out of the foolery, dressing his croc in Dad’s yellow trunks and bestowing on him just two tiny paint smears for teeth. The good humor in the proceedings is evident in every spread, and it’s a game many children will be well familiar with. But Norman’s scansion sputters at points, and it doesn’t provide quite enough for the illustrations to scaffold on. Even at 32 pages, it’s still a spread or two too long to maintain interest. (Picture book. 3-5)