After A While Crocodile: Alexa's Diary

by The Cathedral Quartet, Susan Detwiler, Jennifer Keats Curtis

Overview

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. This nonfiction picture book with a cuddle factor includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 20-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. After A While Crocodile is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The enhanced ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628558371
Publisher:	Arbordale Publishing
Publication date:	08/10/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 9 Years

Editorial Reviews

In Costa Rica, there is a special program for school children who live in rural areas. This program allows these children, if they live near rivers, to raise American crocodiles as part of an education and conservation project. Alexa, a young girl at school, participates in the program. She names her crocodile Jefe, which means boss in Spanish. She writes about his growth and eating habits. She also writes about her school, and the different types of crocodiles she’s learned about. Colorful photos of the crocodiles hatching, Alexa, and the Rangers are found throughout the pages, along with other illustrations. Readers will be engaged as they learn all about crocodiles. They will also learn tidbits about raccoons, lizards, and a few other interesting animals. Readers will also learn words in Spanish as they read the diary of Alexa. The back of the book has a Creative Minds section which has fun facts, Croc Conservation, and even a section on Dr. Brady Barr, a famous herpetologist. Parents and teachers can open up dialogue with readers and discuss what they have learned, and why crocodiles might, or might not, make a good pet. Reviewer: Kristi Bernard; Ages 7 to 12.

Children's Literature - Kristi Bernard

09/01/2016
K-Gr 3—Readers follow Alexa, a young girl from Costa Rica, as she nurtures and cares for a baby crocodile named Jefe. The book is formatted like a diary, with each spread beginning a new day and a new learning opportunity for Alexa. In addition to detailing her daily tasks (feeding Jefe pieces of chicken, measuring his growth, and tracking his development), the narrative incorporates general information on crocodiles. Readers will learn of the differences among alligators, caimans, and crocodiles. A number of Spanish words (with their English translations directly following in parentheses) appear throughout the work. An introductory note explains that Alexa's story is a fictionalized portrayal of a real program in Costa Rica that allows young students to temporarily care for a baby crocodile. With a mixture of photographs and retro-style illustrations, this enlightening offering will entertain and educate readers. Moreover, the large font allows for this title to be used as a read-aloud in a classroom environment. The authors stress the importance of safety and learning to live peacefully with our crocodile neighbors. VERDICT Purchase to complement elementary science curricula on reptiles.—Kathia Ibacache, Simi Valley Public Library, CA

School Library Journal