THE CROCODILE BIRD

Meet the Egyptian plover—the “crocodile bird”—who shares a home along the River Nile with the mighty croc. Creatures that drink from the river flee the fearsome reptile in terror, but not so the plover. Not only does this bird fearlessly stand up to its scaly neighbor; it actually stands in it—inside its mouth, that is. The plover performs a service with a twofold purpose: The bird picks out juicy food bits lodged between the crocodile’s razor-sharp teeth—remainders of its previous meals. This helps the mighty beast avoid tooth decay while the bird ekes out a tasty meal from the morsels. Numerous spreads featuring dramatic close-ups of the crocodile’s gaping, toothy jaws and the gray, white, and black avian dental hygienist unflinchingly doing its work will fascinate young readers as they learn about an unfamiliar creature and a remarkable symbiotic relationship. The informative text is rendered via jaunty four-line rhyming verses that generally read and scan well. The illustrations’ palette is limited to shades of browns, grays, greens, and black and white, focusing on the crocodile and its helpful companion. The zebras, elephant, and wildebeests depicted in the opening spread suggest the African setting but aren’t actually found in Egypt.

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