Little Croc's Purse

The pink flowery purse that Little Croc discovers during hide-and-seek looks innocent enough%E2%80%94but it's actually an accessory masquerading as a moral minefield. Will the substantial money in the purse lead Little Croc into temptation? "Would the owner notice if he borrowed some money from the purse?" Little Croc wonders, spotting some zippy red boots in a store window. Why not just cave to peer pressure and social norms? ("No one returns things nowadays!" his friends shout.) While Finlay (Dandylion) dangles the possibility of dishonesty in her story, the outcome is never really in doubt; Little Croc is the kind of character who literally scolds himself. Not only does the green hero take the purse straight to the police, he also divvies up the reward in a manner that any parenting magazine would applaud, parceling out amounts for "spend, share, and save." The mixed-media pictures have a sweet, unaffected exuberance (though Finlay's protagonists look more like salamanders than crocodiles). But readers will figure out early on that they're in for a surplus of life lessons. Ages 3%E2%80%937 (Mar.)