Like The Rabbit Listened and The Color Monster, this bighearted, stunningly illustrated book helps children to acknowledge and confront their most difficult emotions.After a girl’s best friend moves away, she starts seeing two creatures everywhere she goes: a gray crocodile who weeps for hours, and a loud crocodile who breaks things and creates all kinds of chaos. Nobody else seems to see them, though, and when they even follow her to her family’s beach vacation, the girl decides she needs to talk to them. It turns out she has a lot in common with both of these creatures: She has been feeling sad and angry too.
On sale: October 7, 2025
Age: 5-8 years
Grade: Grades K-3
Page count: 40 Pages
ISBN: 9780593859148
Reading level: Lexile: 480L
Estelí Meza grew up surrounded by books, and her love for illustration began when she attended a children's book fair with her father. Her picture books, which have been published in Mexico, Spain, and the U.S., include
Finding Home and
Peace, and she is a recipient of the premier picture book award in Mexico, A la Orilla del Viento. Estelí lives in Mexico City, where she enjoys the beautiful process of combining motherhood with illustration.
"Meza’s straightforward, compassionate text is firmly rooted in children’s natural—at times seemingly irrational—emotions. Created with paper, colored pencil, and Photoshop, her naive, earth-toned illustrations make use of geometric shapes, complementing the story well. An empathetic tale, ideal for helping little ones ride out the storm of turbulent emotions." —
Kirkus
