We're going on a croc hunt by Laine Mitchell

Ill. by Louis Shea. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74283 248 7.
(Age: 4+) Picture book. Australian animals. Another picture book reprising a well known rhyme for children to sing along with and emulate in the classroom is presented here within the Australian environment. 'We're going on a bear hunt' springs to mind in this story of a group of Australian animals off to find a crocodile. A dog (dingo?), koala, snake, Tasmanian Devil, turtle and a cassowary, all climb through different environments to find their prey. A swamp, hot itchy sand, a reedy waterhole, rocks and scrub must be navigated, each having its own problems to overcome. Readers will delight in seeing the reactions of each of the animals and those they find along the way, to the problems they encounter.
A CD accompanies the book with the tale being sung by children's entertainer, Jay Laga'aias with a group of kids as the chorus, making good fun to use in the classroom. The CD also has a musical version on it, giving students and teachers a different way of using the music. This hardback book is brightly coloured and uses a variety of designs to carry the poem across each page. I loved the cassowary being used instead of the emu which seems to figure largely in books such as these, and the crocodile scale drawings on the end papers adds a point of interest to readers. On many of the double pages other Australian animals can be found, various rock wallabies, birds, a goanna, lizards, platypus and hopping mice. Each page will draw the reader's eyes to the detail given, and add to their knowledge of Australian animals.
Fran Knight