What's Next Door?

PreS-Gr 1—In the vein of Hervé Tullet's Press Here, this interactive narrative places readers in charge of helping crocodile Carter, who is lost, return home. A clap turns on the "light" and readers may see that the hard to please and snappish Carter pleads candidly with a painted sign; "Please help me find my way home or I will eat you." Drawing large circles or squares allows the large reptile to squeeze through or lumber forth to the next page. Children are urged to "jiggle and wiggle" the book, blow Carter dry—all to help him find the right place. Too wet, too cold, "shake the snow" out of the book." Too hot? Draw another door to escape to a cooler place. Digitally created cartoon art accentuates the shading of entrances and exits—actual cut outs—from page to page. The narrator has a sympathetic ear for poor Carter, but the crocodile has an unsmiling visage—glowing, grim eyes that should terrify the small meerkat, penguin, crab, and hummingbird in his immediate vicinity.