by Viviane Schwarz
 
A small child and her crocodile friend think up gold-finding strategies, draw a map, elaborate with complicated sketches encompassing ship-sinking and underwater monsters- and then...finally...set out on an adventure to find gold. A few page spreads of wordless underwater magic later, a great, tumbling, treasure trove of gold is discovered. The adventurers carefully mark the spot on a new, very good, map and then leave the gold well alone. The end. Zany, fantastically strange and with a fresh, direct, dialogue which perfectly captures exactly how children would speak to their imaginary crocodiles. 'Positive portrayal of a gutsy, empowered, wee girl' (Kate, Children's Centre Coordinator, LL reviewer). 'I liked this! A black girl doing something difficult and dangerous is too rare in children's literature…the dialogue is unusual with echoes of The Little Prince' (Darren, Teacher & Higher Ed. Tutor, LL reviewer). But a word of caution from our youngest, 8-year-old reviewer, Vuso, who complained: 'I did not like the book because it doesn't teach you to find gold.' Maybe he was just looking in all of the wrong places... Age 4-7, Paperback 29pp