Eat Your Rocks, Croc!

March 1, 2020

Gr 1-3-This nonfiction catalog of animal facts is formatted as an advice column for animals penned by a sugar glider named Dr. Glider. Each spread covers a different species and features its own color palette, but "letters" to Glider are always green. The facts are interesting and unusual; they are also fairly random and interspersed with anthropomorphic traits such as a yoga-practicing owl and utensil-using crustaceans. Glider, who can effortlessly operate a submarine, can also travel from Kenya to Sweden to the South China Sea to Western Europe without a hitch. The narrator and advice seekers use informal, flippant slang, while informational captions use scientific language. Some of the vocabulary words are far beyond the first through third grade level at which this book is aimed. A glossary is included, but the book's haphazard arrangement discourages its use as a reference source for older readers. VERDICT An interesting enough find, but a poor resource.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
Dr. Glider diagnoses ailing animal patients and dispenses intriguing biology facts. The author of Pink Is for Blobfish, illustrated by David DeGrand (2016), and its equally engaging sequels has adopted a new persona: Dr. Glider, a sugar glider, who travels the world in a variety of costumes and vehicles to explain to ailing animals why they feel bad and what they can do about it. The titular crocodile, for example, needs to swallow rocks (as do many birds, seals, and sea lions) to help with digestion. Each spread introduces a different animal species, with a different problem to be solved by the Oxford-educated doctor. On each spread, a question and answer appear in speech bubbles. A column of illustrated boxes on the right side adds four additional bits of intriguing information. The formatting of the text, with the serious facts set in a staid typeface and foolery in a somewhat more playful one, will help readers distinguish between fact and fancy. Keating's language is full of puns, but her science is spot-on. Oswald's cartoons add humor. Dr. Glider's patients range from Will de Beest (an opportunity to introduce the concepts altricial and precocial) to Myrtle Meerkat (matriarchy and teamwork). They're all identified with Latin names in the backmatter, where there is also a profile of Dr. Glider and a glossary that reveals the broad array of concepts and terms covered, from adaptation to venom. Frankly fantastic but fact-filled fun. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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April 1, 2020
Grades 1-3 Don't worry, ailing animals?Dr. Glider is here to help! The diminutive physician, a darling sugar glider, cheerfully assists her patients with all of their questions and concerns. Her charges vary wildly in form and location, ranging from an exhausted Hawaiian frigate bird to an anxious meerkat in Botswana. Each spread involves a humorous exchange between patient and physician, but the lighthearted dialogue is accompanied by side panels that explain the situation in more scientific detail. Helpful back matter includes a glossary, a review of all the patients, and a delightful biography of the esteemed doctor (it turns out she's an Oxford graduate?the only sugar glider with such a title!). The story fits in a lot of information, but text boxes and word bubbles break it up into digestible tidbits. The detailed illustrations, rendered in a bright gouache texture, add a lovely levity to the proceedings. Altogether, this succeeds in striking a balance between silliness and science, and readers of all ages won't be able to help coming away with both smiles and smarts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 18, 2020
Dr. Sugar Glider takes questions from various animal “patients” with occasionally punny results in this eye-opening tour of animal adaptations. Accompanied by Oswald’s textured, watercolor-like digital illustrations, Dr. Glider’s global caseload of 14 includes an aphid whose brother was kidnapped by ants for his honeydew secretions (a sidebar explains symbiosis), an overtired frigatebird who needs reminding that it can sleep while flying, and the crocodile of the title, which needs help digesting. In Oswald’s animated scenes, Dr. Glider has her stethoscope at the ready while tending her oblivious patients variously on skis, using scuba gear, or via submarine (though a Tarzan outfit strikes an odd note). Four-panel sidebars consistently inform and surprise with animal facts, and a glossary reinforces new vocabulary. This kind of animal roundup isn’t new, but with the help of the wisecracking Dr. Glider, Oswald and Keating’s approach feels fresh and snappy. Ages 4–8.