Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator

by Emma Bland Smith, Jennifer M. Potter (Illustrator)

Overview

"A nonfiction picture book about Claude the albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632175335
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Pages:	22
Product dimensions:	7.04(w) x 5.53(h) x 0.52(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

EMMA BLAND SMITH is a librarian and author of children's fiction and nonfiction. Her picture book debut, Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West, won the 2017 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award for children's literature and the 2017 Cook Prize, which honors the best STEM picture book published for children aged eight to ten. Many of Emma's books feature real-life animals—wolves, dogs, pigs, and alligators. Emma lives in San Francisco with her family, which includes a dog and a cat (but no alligator). Visit her online at EmmaBSmith.com.

JENNIFER POTTER is an illustrator living in San Francisco. When she's not busy drawing, she loves visiting the city's many parks and museums with her husband. She has visited Claude many times, and is thrilled he agreed to let her draw him.

Editorial Reviews

"But Claude’s story, so deftly captured by Smith and Potter, offers more than information about an albino alligator. As a shared read-aloud between adult and child, the book prompts discussions about adaptation, race, acceptance and the environment."—San Francisco Chronicle

★ "The theme of rejection due to difference is an intrinsic part of Claude’s story, so readers develop sympathy and empathy as they also learn facts about albinism and animal behavior."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Ultimately, Claude’s hopeful tale is a celebration of individuality and the joy in finding those who appreciate you for exactly who you are."—Booklist

"an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections for children"—Midwest Book Review

"In the colorful full-page illustrations, the people who care for and who enjoy Claude are portrayed as providing a cheerful, attentive background presence. They model reactions that would help make this an inspiring addition to First-day school or a Quaker home library."—Friends Journal

From the Publisher

★ 2020-05-03
The titular alligator’s life is chronicled, from his hatching in 1995 at a Louisiana alligator farm through his move to a Florida zoo to his current existence as a major attraction at the California Academy of Sciences.

The first double-page spread announces, “In a Louisiana swamp, a baby alligator cracked out of his shell.” The text goes on to tell all the ways in which this baby was similar to “his many brothers and sisters,” including calling them all “quite cute.” Amazingly, the pastel-hued, retro-feeling art does a fine job of echoing that sentiment, showing a bevy of not-entirely-anthropomorphized little critters emerging from their eggs in different poses. The eye is drawn to the sole (cute) white one as the text pronounces the fact that this alligator is called an albino. As the story unfolds, readers learn of the dangers faced by albino alligators, including the fact that other alligators feel uncomfortable around them. The theme of rejection due to difference is an intrinsic part of Claude’s story, so readers develop sympathy and empathy as they also learn facts about albinism and animal behavior. For 13 years, Claude lives in safety in a zoo—but also alone. When he is transported to San Francisco to a state-of-the-art museum swamp, a second (green) alligator is introduced—but after she injures Claude, he is alone again. Or is he? Art shows attention to diversity in people.

Sweet and engaging. (Q&A) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews