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WRITING WITH HEART AND HUMOUR

2/22/2021

41 Comments

 
By Sharon Giltrow
Today I feature the delightful picture book - A CROCODILE IN THE FAMILY, by Kitty Black and Daron Parton. This book provides the perfect balance of heart and humour. It also conveys the important underlying themes of family, belonging and acceptance.
Picture
A Crocodile in the Family
Written by: Kitty Black
Illustrated by: Daron Parton
Published by: Hachette Books, August, 2020
US release: Fox Chapel Publishing, September 2021,
A charming, warm-hearted picture book about a family of birds who take home an egg, and even though the crocodile that hatches from it doesn't look or act like the rest of the family, he belongs.
I asked Kitty to share two of her favourite, humorous pages, which are also full of heart. I also asked, why she finds these pages so funny.
Picture
K - “I adore this spread! The way the illustrations convey the cheekiness of Croccy, combined with relatively sparse text just makes me smile.”

Kitty has utilised a very important technique for writing funny – surprise the reader. What a surprise it is to find Croccy in a box of donuts.
Picture
K - “This gorgeous double page spread is all about the ridiculous. Before we even get to using a crocodile as a coat rack - there’s different types of hats to examine, the bowler hat. as well as a cockatoo in a bonnet, plus a teeny tiny bird on the tip of Croccy’s nose. Then, we can take in the fact that Croccy’s wearing a party hat and is being utilised as equipment. I love it.”

Through the use of sparse text, Kitty allows space for the illustrator. The text doesn’t say what types of hat Croccy will be holding. Thus, allowing the illustrator to use his skills to add to the humour.
FUNNY FACT
The word crocodile is funnier than the word alligator. This is because it uses the hard /K/ sound. Comedians use this when they write funny. Amp up the humour in your writing by using some hard /C/ of /K/ words. Croccy has three hard /C/ sounds in his name - funny.

Well, that’s it from me this month, see you in March, with another great Aussie book.
 
Share a laugh and connect with someone today.
GIVEAWAY
For a chance to win your very own copy of A CROCODILE IN THE FAMILY
  1. Comment on this blog post
  2. Share this blog post on social media
  3. Follow Sharon on twitter
  4. The winner will be announced on twitter on Monday 8th March
BIO
Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon has taught for all of her career. Previously a teacher of children who are hearing impaired and Deaf-Blind, she now teaches young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Her humorous debut PB BEDTIME DADDY! released May 2020 through EK books. Sharon’s humorous follow up PB GET READY, MAMA! Is due to be released through EK books in 2022. Awarded the Paper Bird Fellowship for Writers in 2019. Sharon used this time to write her early middle grade book SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT. To be released in 2021 through Clear Fork Publishing’s new imprint &MG. Sharon is also a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy,
 
CONNECT
https://www.instagram.com/sharongiltrow1/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/sharongiltrowwriter/
https://twitter.com/sharon_giltrow
https://sharongiltrow.weebly.com/

41 Comments
Sharalyn Edgeberg
2/22/2021 02:20:56 pm

Thanks for sharing about this book! It does sound humorous & I like the illustrations.
I like your tip about the hard /k/ sounds add humor to text.

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/23/2021 12:28:03 am

Thank you Sharalyn for your comment and I'm glad you found the writing funny tip helpful :-).

Reply
Anna Maledon link
2/23/2021 01:36:51 am

It looks like a really cute book. I love the style of illustrations and the tip about the k sound is spot on. There aren't that many picture books about crocodiles so it is a good idea to feature them instead of bears or bunnies.

Real doughnuts and books about doughnuts are always a hit with my 6-year-old, or any books about sweets.

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/23/2021 03:01:34 am

Hi Anna,
Thank you for your comments. There's definitely not enough books about crocodiles and donuts :-).

Reply
Carol Baldwin link
2/23/2021 04:34:29 am

A crocodile as a coat rack? Sounds great!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:31:51 am

It sure does :-).

Reply
Freda Lewkwoicz link
2/23/2021 04:37:03 am

Thanks for these hilarious tips!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:32:47 am

You're welcome. More tips to come in my next posts.

Reply
Jany Campana link
2/23/2021 04:44:44 am

Sharon,
Such a beautiful and fun sounding book. I can't wait to devour it!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:34:47 am

Ha, ha devour is such a perfect word and funny too.

Reply
Amy Leskowski link
2/23/2021 06:01:26 am

What a fun book! I love the analysis of why certain things were funny, like "crocodile" vs. "alligator" and leaving the hat types to the illustrator. Great tips!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:33:30 am

Thank you more tips to come next month ;-).

Reply
Carole Calladine link
2/23/2021 06:11:29 am

What a fun book. Love the surprise of being in the donut box. Great tips.

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:34:07 am

Yes a crocodile in your donuts would be a big surprise

Reply
Sharon K. Solomon link
2/23/2021 06:54:32 am

What a clever and funny story. Young kids will love A Crocodile
in the Family as it is so unique and colorful!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:35:40 am

Thank you I will pass your kind words on to the creators.

Reply
Linda Staszak
2/23/2021 07:05:15 am

This book sounds sooo funny--I can't wait to read it. Thanks for an interesting post and great writing tips!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:37:02 am

Thanks I am so glad you found them helpful

Reply
Mary A Raebel
2/23/2021 07:16:05 am

It looks like a colorful and funny read! Thanks for the tips on what makes a story funny and full of heart.

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:37:44 am

Yes heart is just as important as humour.

Reply
Marilyn Wolpin
2/23/2021 07:54:38 am

Sharon, I always appreciate tips on writing funny. Your book looks hilariously written and drawn. Thanks for the post.

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:38:32 am

You're welcome and thank you for your compliments about BEDTIME, DADDY!

Reply
Cindy Johnson link
2/23/2021 07:57:25 am

This book looks hilarious! And I so appreciate the analysis you provide to break down what makes it so. Thank you!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:39:15 am

It is great to work out what makes a book funny and heartfelt.

Reply
Gwendolyn Black link
2/23/2021 08:14:03 am

I love the concept of the book! It shows the diversity of our world and even though we are different we can accept and love one another. It will be a great addition for parents and teachers to share with their kids and students. The illustrations are wonderful too. Congratulations!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:39:55 am

It is a great book about belonging and acceptance.

Reply
Mira Reisberg link
2/23/2021 11:36:26 am

This book has so much going for it. I'd love to have it in my library too :)

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:40:25 am

Thank you lovely Mira I'll see what I can do :-)

Reply
Jill Tatara
2/23/2021 02:15:52 pm

Great post! I'm working on a humorous manuscript right now and I'm going to try and add more surprises and more hard C sounds!
Thank you!

Reply
Katie Easton
2/23/2021 03:49:35 pm

Such a fun and adorable book!!! I love the illustration style!!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:41:08 am

Yes the illustrations add much to the heart and humour of the story.

Reply
Zewlan Moor link
2/23/2021 04:06:25 pm

How wonderful of you to share Australian books with the world. And this one sounds cute & quirky!

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
2/24/2021 01:36:25 am

Thank you more great Aussie books coming your way :-).

Reply
katie schwartz
2/24/2021 08:03:01 am

Love this, it is too funny! I will follow you, as I aspire to write funny books, you make it look easy!

Reply
Terena
2/25/2021 03:27:26 am

Such a great article Sharon! We love Croccy! It’s so relevant to our family. I never knew about the hard /K/ sound! A handy trick to have up my sleeve!

Reply
Kristen
2/27/2021 09:53:17 pm

Can’t wait to read it! Thanks for all the tremendous insight!

Reply
Holly Vagley
3/6/2021 09:35:42 am

Sharon, can’t wait to buy & share this book w my local librarians. Hugs!
Holly

Reply
Sharon Giltrow
3/8/2021 12:35:20 am

International Woman's Day - What a great day to announce the winner of my blog post giveaway. Congratulations Mary Raebel you have won a copy of A CROCODILE IN THE FAMILY by the amazing Kitty Black. Please DM for details :-)

Reply
Disha link
2/26/2023 09:51:36 pm

I'm really happy to find your blog. Thanks for sharing such interesting blog

Reply
data science course in kerala link
2/26/2023 10:28:53 pm

Awesome content! It looks like you've put a lot of work into this. Quite clear and concise. Thanks for sharing some valuable post. Great job!

Reply
sarthak link
3/6/2023 10:20:28 pm

I appreciate you sharing this knowledge.

Reply



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  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Mastering Great Graphic Novels >
      • 2023 Mastering Graphic Novels Registration
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
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    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship