MY CROCODILE DOES NOT BITE by Joe Kulka

My six-year-old daughter and I both enjoyed this cute, quirky book. It's time for the school pet show, and Ernest is undeterred when his crocodile, Gustave, can't fit on the school bus. Cindy Lou is sure her pink poodle, Fifi, will win, and is not above sabotage. Cindy Lou reminded me a bit of one of the horrid children in a Roald Dahl book (which is a good thing). While the repeated chorus of "My crocodile does not bite" is not the catchiest, the colorful, fun illustrations as Gustave performs astounding tricks make up for it.

The very last page makes a huge difference - it's a surprise ending that keeps the book from being disturbing. My daughter would not have liked this book without the last page! She was concerned before we turned the page to see the resolution. After that, she announced that she loved the book and wanted to read it again.

Source disclosure: I received an e-galley of this title from the publisher.