The Christmas Crocodile

From Caldecott-winning illustrator David Small and bestselling author Bonny Becker, an unforgettable Christmas story that will leave the whole family giggling.

When Alice Jayne finds a crocodile under the tree on Christmas Eve, her family goes into an uproar! The Christmas Crocodile doesn't mean to be bad, not really, but soon he is eating up Christmas--from the dinner roast to the left stove-top burner...even the Christmas tree! Everyone has an opinion about what to do with him. Uncle Theodore suggests they send him to Africa, Father recommends the zoo, and Aunt Figgy mentions an orphanage. But Alice Jayne thinks the Christmas Crocodile deserves a real family. Can she find him a new home? And will she and the family survive till Christmas morning, with that naughty crocodile gobbling up everything in sight?

David Small is the recipient of the 2001 Caldecott Medal (for So You Want to Be President?, written by Judith St. George), the 1998 Caldecott Honor and Christopher Award (for The Gardener, written by his wife, Sarah Stewart), and the 2008 E.B. White Award (for When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, written by Elise Broach), among many other accolades. His graphic-novel memoir, Stitches, was a 2009 National Book Award finalist. Small's drawings have appeared in the New Yorker and the New York Times. He lives in Mendon, Michigan. Learn more about him online at www.davidsmallbooks.com.

Bonny Becker is the author of the popular Bear and Mouse series of picture books, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, including the New York Times bestseller A Visitor for Bear. She is also the author of a number of award-winning picture books and middle-grade novels. Becker lives in Seattle, where she writes full-time and teaches at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Learn more about her online at www.bonnybecker.com.

Nancy Pearl is a librarian and lifelong reader. She regularly comments on books on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. Her books include 2003's Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason; 2005's More Book Lust: 1,000 New Reading Recommendations for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason; 2007's Book Crush: For Kids and Teens-Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Interest; and 2010's Book Lust To Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers. Among her many awards and honors are the 2011 Librarian of the Year Award from Library Journal, the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, the 2010 Margaret E. Monroe Award from the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association, and the 2004 Women's National Book Association Award.