Overview

What would you do if you were settling down for a quiet bedtime story and you realised that a crocodile had fallen into your storybook and was – not to put too fine a point on it – furious? Would you slam that book shut, cram it in the bookshelf for evermore or would you be brave enough to peek? This very grumpy crocodile has ended up in totally the wrong book, so he proceeds to eat his way out, in this fantastic debut picture book. He tries to escape a storybook that is all wrong for him, but is great fun for the reader! “What is he doing now? He’s chewing the pictures! And he’s eating the letters too! I think his favourites are O and S”. No wonder this is a best-seller!

Paperback: 32 pages

ISBN: 9780857630841

Dimensions: 23 x 0.4 x 29 cm

Written and illustrated by: Nicola O’Byrne

Reviews:

“The text and illustrations work together to produce a quirky crazy tale destined to be loved by young children.” – The Scotsman

“Children will love the anarchic approach to storytelling offered by this picture book. Playful and full of fun, it encourages readers to pick up the book, rock it, shake it and even scribble on its pages! The final spread, complete with a ragged hole through which the crocodile makes his getaway, will leave young readers guessing and wondering what might happen next. The beautifully-designed pages and high production values make this surprising story extra-special.” – Booktrust

“The text is witty and fun … The artwork is dynamic which helps support the overall brisk and action-packed feel of the tale. The resolution of the story will delight little readers and is aesthetically perfectly accomplished. Though the ending remains resolutely open-ended; is that naughty crocodile going to turn up in other story books? Open Very Carefully is a great story which lends itself to dynamic and interactive storytelling. It will hopefully encourage little readers to “play” with stories and urge adult readers to look beyond the page when reading stories.” – Library Mice

“This is a wonderful story, full of humour and very unexpected happenings – and just look what happens at the end! Children will love it and adults will appreciate the cleverness.” – Parents in Touch

“This is a lively read with many prompts for interactivity and a format that makes it a good choice for both lap reads and preschool circle time … O’Byrne’s crocodile is a personable antihero—she underscores his disruptive nature by drawing him in a brash, aggressive style that contrasts mischievously with her soft, storybook duckling—and her integration of typography and action is consistently ingenious.” – Publisher’s Weekly

About the author:

When Nicola was 5 years old her parents banned Saturday morning television, and she has been drawing ever since. Nicola grew up in Singapore surrounded by the vibrant colours of the tropics and had not even heard of illustration as a career before she discovered the Illustration course at Edinburgh College of Art. Having graduated from ECA, Nicola has now completed a Masters in Printmaking from Camberwell College of Art, as well as pursuing a career in children’s book illustration. She gets most of her ideas for children’s books when she should be working on something else, and bases all of her characters on people she knows.