Yasss! What a powerful message here and we need more of this! Family is family and that's all there is to it! We will for sure be purchasing!

Belonging, isn't that what we all desire? This book illustrates the magic of adoption and the belonging that can be found there. Plus it has some great vocabulary words to learn.

I am always looking for children's books for my toddler, and when I saw this one, I cover-read it. It's about a crocodile who grows up with a family of birds and he belongs with them no matter that he is different.

The overall message was good, but there were a few things I did not like to begin with. Once the bird family found the egg, the author moved onto a scene with the entire family in front of a TV and then a donut page. I didn't care for those two scenes.

What I did really like is that they truly implemented the fact that the crocodile belonged with that family, and that was that. It didn't matter he was huge, had big teeth, or was DIFFERENT, the family didn't see him as different. The family saw him as part of the family.

I would recommend this book to those I knew who had a child struggling with adoption or some other version of diversity in their home. It's a good lesson to learn.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for they copy of the ebook for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the free arc.

This book was adorable.

It was so easy to read and had a great message! The artwork was amazing.

My five year old niece was able to easily read through this book about a family of birds who adopted a crocodile egg. The book then goes on to explain all of the reasons why the bird family loves the crocodile.

A great read for any little in your life.

" Deep in the Australian scrub lay a lonesome egg.
It was hard to see but easy to trip over.
A family of birds stared at the egg
And took it home."

One day the egg cracks open and out pops a bright green crocodile. Oh my who knew? The family is thrilled at the new arrival. They nurture Croccy carrying him around in their pocket and on wide-brimmed hats and sometimes they placed him in donut boxes. All the bush animals can't believe that the bird family would keep a crocodile around. Why he may grow up and pose a threat to their very lives.

As Croccy grows he becomes even more magnificent and endearing to the family. He opens up metal cans for the birdies with his sharp teeth, becomes their taxi as they cross the river, and is an excellent coat rack, just to name a few. Growing even bigger he discovers that he is proficient at playing hide and seek, playing cheeky tricks and taking the animals on exiting rides.

The bush animals still question why the bird family keeps Croccy around. Can you guess why? The answer is perfect: "The family smiled. "Because he belongs with us, and that's that."

I love this positive, heartwarming book. It highlights that families come in all forms and sizes. It is a loving bedtime story to share with your little ones. It's affirming message is simple but very profound. The cartoon-like illustrations are lively, humorous and fun. I highly recommend this book.

"A Crocodile in the Family" was definitely an adorable read, and I found myself really enjoying the art in this book. I found the writing fairly engaging as well, which is a common criticism of mine with children's books, so I applaud it for that. Overall, I can see myself purchasing this book for a younger family member and I think the target audience would definitely enjoy it.

This was so incredibly sweet!!! I loved how the bird family was immediately happy that their new family member is a crocodile, no questions asked. Even when others in their community didn't understand why they adopted him, they continued to love him unconditionally and wholly, just because he's simply a part of their family.

A Crocodile in the Family is a beautiful story which shows that you do not have to be born into a family to belong in it. I read this to my 4 year old son who we adopted at 6 months old. He knows all about his adoption and while I was reading this book to him he kept saying that Croccy is just like me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for my ARC.

I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Since I work in a kindergarten I am always on the lookout for cute, fun books that also carry a lesson and deeper meaning.
This book had everything one can ask for, cute art, easy to follow and not overly cluttered story, and a lesson to take away with you. This is definitely something I would purchase for my kids.

It shows that being part of a family isn't necessarily determined by being born into it. How people who love you for who you are, and not because of your looks, usefullness etc. are your true family and friends.

Okay, so I thought this book was adorable. Of the six NetGalley picture books my 5yo and I read today, this was my favorite. The plot is simple: a family of birds adopt an egg they find in the jungle, and when an alligator hatches out of it, all the other animals wonder why they keep him.

The illustrations are expressive and vibrant, the message is super sweet, and over all the story is just light and fun. This is a story of belonging and love that doesn't feel heavy handed, but still really hits those cute, wholesome beats. My 5yo says he liked it, especially when the crocodile hatched and grew up. So, there you go! Totally recommend to anyone looking for solid cute picture book for ages 2-6.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC!

This was such a sweet story about belonging and the different shapes families can take. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful - sure to grab young readers' attention. A great little book!

Oh my gosh, this is absolutely adorable!! I loved the message and the artwork! Each page is just kind-hearted, whimsical and sweet. Definitely recommended!

This is such a lovely book, with a very sweet message! The illustrations are bright, lively, and fun--kids will have a great time studying all that is happening in the pictures.

The story has got such heart. Croccy is adopted by a family of birds and loved and accepted as one of them without question. They appreciate all of his positive qualities and useful abilities, but are clear that they love him because of who he is and how he belongs in their family. It's a wonderfully affirming message and there's lots of humor too!

This book would do equally well in circle time, small group, and one-on-one reading scenarios. It's attention-grabbing enough to hold large group interest, but full of detail that would make it spark great conversations in more focused settings. I can't wait to read this to my classes!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

If you need an adorable picture book, with fantastic and colourful illustrations and the most heartwarming message about family and love, look no further!

This story is about a family of birds who discovered an orphaned egg and decided to adopt it. Out came this bright green crocodile! The story is about love and family, showing that you don’t need to be blood related to welcome someone with open arms. That just because you’re different, doesn’t mean you’re not worth it. If you’re family, you’re family.

I think this is a wonderful addition to any child’s library!

5/5⭐️

This is a cute little book that alludes to adoption. Overall, it was a sweet book. I didn't love how they kept referring to "keeping" him as it felt a little too much like they owned him. A slight linguistic change would have made it feel a bit more palatable to me. However, I did like how they made the point that he wasn't a part of their family because of his various abilities, inherent or developed, but because he was a true part of their family and that they belonged together.

A sweet story about belonging. A great message to discuss in story time about acceptance, diversity, and being yourself. Everyone has value. The humor is engaging, and the illustrations are pleasing with bright colors. I highly recommend this book for librarians and teachers. It’s such a delight!

An enjoyable kids book that shows that just because someone may be helpful or fun there are other reasons that people belong together and bring out the best in people. I also enjoyed the illustrations!

📚 Book Review 📚

A Crocodile in the Family
Words by Kitty Black
Illustrations by Daron Parton
Pub Date November 23, 2021

Thoughts:
A nice primer book about diversity and acceptance of those who appear different than you. The illustrations were a good complement to the words. This book would be a nice addition to a pre-k or kindergarten diversity/inclusion curriculum.

Description:
A touching and heartwarming picture book about adoption, acceptance, and inclusion. A Crocodile in the Family is a charming children’s story about a family of birds who stumble across a lone egg in the Australian bush. After taking it home to care for the egg themselves, they discover it’s actually a baby crocodile! The bird family raises the baby crocodile as one of their own, and as their community continues to ask questions about the reason why they keep him, the family says the answer is simple. Because he belongs, that’s why! With a story that captures your heart and stunning illustrations, A Crocodile in the Family is the perfect children’s book about what makes a blended family so beautiful.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
Thank you, @netgalley for the opportunity to read before publication.

"A Crocodile in the Family" is a cute new story that families will love. Our kiddos loved the storyline and the amazing illustrations. We enjoyed the watching the adventure unfold as the family and Croccy spend time together doing various activities. As a parent, I loved that the moral of the story was clear and able to be understood by my little ones. As one of my kiddos mentioned, this book was excellent and we loved that the Bird family was so nice to Croccy. We highly recommend this book for any home library or classroom!

A very sweet children's picture book about unique families and acceptance. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking.

As someone who works with many children in unique home situations, I struggled with the term “keep” that this book uses. “We keep him because”. It insinuates that at any time, they can choose to not keep him. That’s a hard struggle for many children. It also teaches other children that the term “keep” is acceptable. For example, a child learns about a friend of theirs who is adopted, and then curiously asks about it (which is wonderful!) but because of this book, that child says “that’s so cool you’re adopted and your family chose to keep you”. It is a heartbreaking (yet innocent) term.

Perhaps, language like “is that why you love him?” Answered by “it’s one reason we love him, but not the only”, and the next time “is that why you cherish him?” And then “it’s one reason we cherish him, but not the only”.

I believe this book could be absolutely outstanding with some tweaking to the language and removal of the word “keep”. It has the potential to be a great tool in acceptance of unique families. My review and rating today is based on the version I have read, but would be compelled to re-read and review if small changes were made. :)