Lizzie Finlay

An honest Little Croc finds a purse. All the other crocs convince him to open it and when he does, they find money. All the crocs yell what they want to spend it on but not Little Croc. He decides he's going to return it to the police department. For being so honest, the owner, Mrs. Doolally took our her locket from a secret pocket and gave the purse to Little Croc. Little Croc took the money and bought himself a new pair of boots, a present for his friend, gave some to charity, and bought lemonade for everyone.… (mer)

NCLA Review - When an honest little crocodile finds a lost purse, he wants to return it to its owner, but his friends try to convince him to keep the purse and the money inside. On his way to turn in the purse at the police station, Little Croc resists the temptation to spend or share the money. He also manages to escape from the nefarious Murdock who tries to trick him into giving Murdock the purse. As Little Croc struggles with what to do, readers will also wonder what they would do in his place. Children are sure to have opinions about what the best choice would be. In the end, Little Croc’s honesty is rewarded and he splits his reward money between three envelopes—spend, share, save—which he then uses to buy something for himself and for his friends. He even buys a piggy bank for Murdock. This unique turn of the plot changes what might have been a simple story about honesty into a lesson on stewardship. This book would make a good introduction to stewardship for ages 4-8, and children could easily use Little Croc’s example to set up a spend, share, save system of their own using birthday money or allowance. Rating: 4 —AMG… (mer)

Little Croc's Purse offers nothing subtle or nothing new, but I'm recommending it because it's a valuable lesson for the young set. When Little Croc finds a purse, everyone has suggestions about what to do with the money. Croc is bent and determined to find its owner. In his search to do so, he faces all kinds of temptations -- stuff to buy, other animals eager to lead him astray--but he brings the purse to the police and duly receives a reward from the grateful owner. Yes, a bit on the preachy side but the whimsical drawings and the decisions Croc makes in how to spend his reward money make this a worthwhile read for storytime.… (mer)