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Overview
Crocodiles are one of nature's deadliest creatures. Fast as lightning, a hungry crocodile can snatch a victim away in a second! Entire villages have lived in fear of these dangerous hunters. It takes respect and knowledge to protect humans from crocodiles, and crocodiles from humans.Synopsis
Crocodiles are one of nature's deadliest creatures. Fast as lightning, a hungry crocodile can snatch a victim away in a second! Entire villages have lived in fear of these dangerous hunters. It takes respect and knowledge to protect humans from crocodiles, and crocodiles from humans.
Children's Literature
If your taste runs to the sensational, then this book about crocodiles may appeal. It opens with a Nile crocodile—jaws wide open and a text that details how these hunters wait for fish, birds, antelopes, and even humans. The story of Gustave The Man-eater is enough to keep anyone out of the waters of Lake Tanganyika. One researcher pictured with a python around his neck is trying to find Gustav to attach a radio tracking device to help debunk or confirm the stories about the 300 people he has supposedly eaten. Crocodiles, readers learn after the sensationalism, are ancient creatures who shared the earth with dinosaurs. Rau discusses how these big reptiles hunt, what they hunt, and how they move around. A diagram shows the major body parts and a few facts about the Nile crocodile. In addition, there is a page that describes the types of crocodiles. More sensational stories follow these facts about crocodiles in the Zambezi River, Uganda, and Queensland, Australia. The text concludes with a glossary, books, and Internet sites for more information, and an index.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
If your taste runs to the sensational, then this book about crocodiles may appeal. It opens with a Nile crocodile—jaws wide open and a text that details how these hunters wait for fish, birds, antelopes, and even humans. The story of Gustave The Man-eater is enough to keep anyone out of the waters of Lake Tanganyika. One researcher pictured with a python around his neck is trying to find Gustav to attach a radio tracking device to help debunk or confirm the stories about the 300 people he has supposedly eaten. Crocodiles, readers learn after the sensationalism, are ancient creatures who shared the earth with dinosaurs. Rau discusses how these big reptiles hunt, what they hunt, and how they move around. A diagram shows the major body parts and a few facts about the Nile crocodile. In addition, there is a page that describes the types of crocodiles. More sensational stories follow these facts about crocodiles in the Zambezi River, Uganda, and Queensland, Australia. The text concludes with a glossary, books, and Internet sites for more information, and an index.School Library Journal
Gr 4-7
These books appear to have been written to impress readers with the death and damage a hungry wild creature can inflict on a human. While the nature of these animals is described, it is the details of actual attacks that are memorable-limbs bitten off by sharks, a 10-year-old swallowed by a snake, 2000 stitches to repair the face of a woman stalked by a mountain lion, and the persistence of missing persons who live near a lake inhabited by crocodiles. Headings in red emphasize the threat, and colored sidebars break up the texts. Frequent stock photographs and a schematic diagram depicting the animal give a sense of its size and habitat. With the primary focus on attacks, each book provides a short list of preventive measures and suggestions in case of such an event. Still, they are enough to keep readers away from woods, lakes, oceans, and gardens. Whether the tabloid approach is suitable should be weighed against the appeal of horrific stories.
—Janet S. ThompsonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.