#342 of 1001 · July 8, 2021

Will the search for information yield valuable wisdom or mortal danger? In Crocodile’s Tears by @alexbeardstudio, it’s both. Stopping at the river for a drink, Rhino and Tickbird begin to wonder why Crocodile appears to be crying. They set off across the land in an attempt to discover the cause of Crocodile’s tears. Each animal they encounter suggests another animal who might answer their question, and their journey takes them to the mountains where Golden Eagle perches, to the plains where Elephant trumpets, to the forest where Tree Frog sings, to the meadow where Brenton Blue Butterfly flutters, to the savanna where Maasai Giraffe roams, and to the grasslands where Cheetah runs. Finally, Rhino breaks down and asks Crocodile himself. The great reptile replies that the tears are not a sign of sadness but a mechanism to keep his eyes moist. This explanation given, his Crocodile nature takes over, and Rhino is in for a nasty shock. Beard uses his engaging narrative and thick-lined illustrations both to entertain and to educate: both the story proper and a glossary at the end draw attention to the vanishing habitats of these animals in countries across Africa. Moreover, a share of the book’s proceeds go to the Shompole Community Trust, a land and animal reserve overseen by the Maasai people in Kenya. #crocodile #tears #rhino #bird #eagle #elephant #frog #butterfly #giraffe #cheetah #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks