Crocodile's Crossing: A Search For Home by Yoeri Slegers (Children's Picture Book Review)

I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Crocodile's Crossing:
A Search For Home

by Yoeri Slegers
Published by Flyaway Books
on April 14, 2020
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 32 pages
Ages: 3 - 7 years

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Synopsis:
Crocodile is tired, scared, and hopeful as he searches for his new home.

Everything will be better where I'm going! he thinks. But where is that?

Crocodile's Crossing: A Search For Home introduces children to the complex topic of immigration. Featuring bright artwork packed with playful details, this thoughtful tale sensitively portrays the challenges faced by refugees and other newcomers. A downloadable discussion guide will be available at www.flyawaybooks.com/resources. 

Our Thoughts:

Crocodile is searching for somewhere to call his home. He loved his last home but it became too dangerous to stay, so he set out in search of safer shores. New places meant new words, new foods, and, of course, new problems. Many places he traveled to would not accept his big scary teeth or tough green skin and shooed him on his way. Eventually, Crocodile runs out of supplies and is so tired of searching, but he awakes in a new land with a community that accepts him and changes his life.

This is an immigrant story for children, with a crocodile as the main character, fleeing his home and the bad things happening there, including a lack of food. He has a family and friends just like him but he stands out in the new places he travels to and isn't always welcome.

There's a great lesson within this story. We see the very real issues that immigrants face all over the world while looking for a place to belong to. It's something that could happen to any of us. Luckily, Crocodile finds his happy ending in a place where he is valued and can contribute to the community!

The full-spread illustrations are fantastic, with great bird's eye perspectives to show Crocodile's travel around the world and fun, emotive animals. I love how the cover tells us exactly what the story is about. The end pages similarly seem to tell us how chaotic and confusing it is to not know where to go or where you are going.

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