Croc & Turtle!: The Best Friends Ever!

PreS-Gr 1–Croc wants to show his pal Turtle how he’s the best at picking up a heavy rock, but Elephant comes along and is stronger. How about jumping over that rock? Nope, Rabbit can jump higher. Running? Surely he is the fastest runner. Yes, until Cheetah zooms past him. A disheartened Croc despairs at not being the best at anything, until Turtle reminds him that he can beat him in all those things, leaving Turtle wondering if he’s the best at anything. Together they realize that they are the best at being each other’s friend. Besides, Croc reminds Turtle, you are the best swimmer, and Turtle reminds Croc he has the most teeth (until Shark shows up). Wohnoutka’s acryla gouache illustrations work effortlessly with the text for a fun story with plenty of character. There is a good use of white space, brilliant facial expressions, humorous antics and adorable critters. In a clever and understated bit of detail, the text is color coded; each animal has its own color. Croc and Turtle’s colors match the cover art.