Gator

This is a wonderful, sweet book. It should be more popular. There is a hole in my heart because it seems to be out of print.

My six-year-old and I love reading this story along with Randy Cecil's follow-up, Duck. Both involve animals on one particular carousel. The illustrations are muted but contain a subtle humor and charm. The stories are sweet and whimsical. I loved Gator but I have an especially soft spot for Duck.

Fun

A house favorite.

I bought this book three years ago for my son who was two at the time. I bought it while away in New Orleans for a few days, so it was already kind of a special one. But we read it quite a few times. It’s a great story for kids and adults. Over the years it would sit on the shelf for long periods, and then we’d get it back out and enjoy it some more. Just the other day we introduced my younger son who is now two to it, and it has started another revival. As someone else said, I think it might be even more enjoyable for adults, but the kids love it too.

We love the companion book, Duck, so we decided to get Gator. It is just as great and has a nice story line. My daughter enjoys it, and the illustrations are great.

We read probably 50 picture books per week in our household and this is a true standout, though I should confess that my husband and I love it more than my 3.5 yo son (who certainly likes it but is too young to appreciate its emotional depth).... which is to say that this is one of those books that appeals to both adults and children but for different reasons. Kids see it as a funny story about an a carosel gator, adults see it as a gentle and sweet book about change, loss, and new beginnings. This is more or less a modern take on the Velveteen Rabbit. It makes both my husband and I tear up.

I was at Border's this afternoon and happened to see this book displayed on a table (I was drawn to it because of the cover - the illustrations are GREAT). I sat down and read it while my daughter was running around in the the kids section. This is such a sweet, cool story! I love the idea of the carousel animal hopping down to check out the world when kids stop coming around, I love the hole in his heart idea, and the duck with the wings up at the end was the final clincher. I would recommend this book to any parent, or if you are looking for a great book to give as a gift - this is the one!