This is the cutest story about a little boy who takes pity on a trapped alligator. He brings him leftovers, sings him a lullaby, and then cuts him free of the vine that holds him while he sleeps. The alligator and the boy become friends but, as always when people are afraid, the mayor decrees that there can be "no alligators, blah blah blah".

AAALLIGATOR! was so much fun to read. My kids loved seeing the little boy with his alligator friend and seeing what happens when people take the time to get to know someone (or an animal, in this case) before making a snap judgment.

A must-read for young and old!

This was a fun book and elicited some good discussions with my oldest grandchild. A young boy rescues an alligator who is tangled in wires. We talked about where alligators lived because he was worried one might show up in the pond near his neighbourhood. The boy sings to the alligator and feeds him to keep him occupied while he cuts him loose. "If I sing to animals, I still can't touch them, they're wild." Yes! Then the alligator adopts the boy and follows him everywhere. Now we were able to have fun with the story. All the townsfolk fed him and took care of him, all except the mean mayor. We talked about why the mayor didn't like the alligator when he didn't know him. He got the comparison to people, he is a bright kid most of the time. Of course the town rallies around the alligator so something doesn't happen to him. He thought putting him in a whale costume was funny, but that a whale wouldn't fit in a small lake or pond. The ending has a bit of a surprise. It is important not to take this book literally, but look at the message of acceptance. If he had been older, we might have talked about civil disobedience, the democratic process, etc. I can see this book being read to older students and using it to discuss those items. A book that my granddaughter just thought was fun and was glad the alligator was safe and had lots of friends.

AAAligator! by Judith Henderson is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a boy and alligator and their unlikely friendship. It is a cute story that teaches about friendships, helping others, and first impressions.

This was a well written book about a boy who befriends an alligator and how the whole town rallies behind the alligator. Beautiful illustrations too. I appreciated the onomatopoeias in this book and it was fun to read with my children.

At the outset, this story is pretty much exactly what you'd expect. A child encounters an alligator. At first, he's frightened but chooses kindness when he realizes the gator is hungry. By sharing food he forms a friend. The townspeople also react initially with fear, wanting the gator gone, but are convinced by the boy's relationship with the animal to rethink their opinions. It's with the introduction of the mayor that it takes a bit of a turn. Because the mayor doesn't listen to reason or change his opinion in any way, leading to long term deception and a very odd end twist

I requested this book because I wanted to look at starting up a blog for children's books since I have a grandson now and wanted to be able to give grannies a heads up on what they can read to their grandchildren. I was unable to download this straight to my kindle or in a format I could convert to read. On Publication day I went out to Amazon to see if I could purchase the book to read and write about it. Unfortunately I was unable to find it on the retail sites where I buy books. Since I am unable to read the book I am unable to provide feedback. I am really sorry.

This book is visually a delight and such a sweet story of caring for others. Other reviewers discussed concerns regarding the book downplaying the danger of alligators. I think that there were many ways in which caregivers could discuss safety alongside this book. This book would make a great addition to a library of a little one who loves the outdoors or alligators!

I would absolutely buy this for my grand daughter. It is a wonderful story that is funny and cute. It is beautifully illustrated to catch the eye of little ones. I am 50 and I loved it!

I thought that this was a lovely book and I really liked the images.

The images worked well with the story and they really brought the story to life.

The pace for the book was well written and I really enjoyed it.

It is 4 stars from me for this one – highly recommended!

I loved the illustrations, and the idea of the townspeople coming together to protect the alligator from the mayor, who wants the alligator gone. But I admit I'm not a fan of (SPOILER) the mayor getting eaten. (It's not said that's what happens, but it's implied by the text and picture.) Especially because the mayor's not necessarily wrong for not wanting an alligator being fed by townspeople to hang around the town. I understand suspension of disbelief, but the fact is feeding an alligator is just not a good idea, both for the alligator (especially later on in the book where they're feeding it the town's trash?) and for the people who live near the alligator. I grew up in gator country and if alligators are fed--in fact, if most animals are fed by people--they learn people = food and become more bold. Hence why you're not supposed to leave food out when camping! Again, I did absolutely adore the illustrations, but I felt the book's message was lacking.

A really cute story. There were some creative problem solving done by the main character; some elements of suspense; a few twists and delightful surprises; strong messages of working together, community and embracing differences; empowerment of the people. There is a lot in this little story. I thought the whimsical and folksy illustrations were on point. There were a lot of thoughtful little things within the illustrations to notice. Every enjoyable read.

Cute story of unlikely friendship.A scary alligator becomes friends with a young boy .What would the town people will think about this friendship.loveable characters and adorable story with amazing illustrations.

A boy and his alligator. No names in this childhood story about friendship. It takes understanding and acceptance to be friends with a big green alligator. With bravery and courage, boy shows what friendship is all about. He also goes against the mayor of his village and shows the rest of the village that living in fear of others does no one any good.

Being friends with an alligator is over the top and extreme but it gives a good lesson on those that are different than we are. A great tool for parents and children to show empathy and compassion for others.

A special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

A timely tale about communities and how they are stronger together. I loved the compassion shown to the alligator and how it all started with a child, making this book relatable to children and showing them just how easily acceptance can develop with small acts of kindness.

I really enjoyed the illustrations. I get what the author was going for (I think) but the pacing of the story feels off.

Overall a cute story with awesome illustrations. The story follows a little boy who befriends an alligator. When the mayor issues a proclamation stating no alligators in town the people come together to find a way to help the alligator stay. I enjoyed the illustrations in the story, they were very well done. The story was cute but I'm not sure if I would buy it for our home library.
I received this ebook in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Really superb illustrations abound in this book. A very relatable story involving befriending a woodland alligator and traversing the usual misunderstandings regarding who is suitable for being eaten in polite society. Strangely, the story culminates with the alligator attending "meetings" to overcome a slight drinking problem that developed following species confusion (hence the title AAA-ligator). Actually that doesn't really happen although it would in my story. Not to worry nobody develops a drinking problem and no actual people or animals were harmed in the making of this book.

-Recommended

This book was absolutely adorable. It has a wonderful, easy-to-understand message about judging a book by its cover told through a very funny story about a boy and his alligator.

Not for Kids in Gator Country

The first thing that struck me as odd about this book is that it partially takes place in an actual forest. Yes, there is a lake, but it looks like a regular lake, not a swampy lake, which would be more of the habitat for an alligator. How did the single alligator get to this lake in a regular forest? Children probably won't ask those questions, though. Essentially, the story is that a young boy finds an alligator in the forest twisted in some vines. The boy is unsure about approaching the alligator but does cut it free after it falls asleep. They then become friends, doing activities together. But things get a little dicey when they go to town, as the town's people are very afraid—naturally—of the gator. In fact, the mayor makes a proclamation that no alligators are allowed. But behind the mayor’s back, the townspeople come out to the lake and feed the alligator their leftovers. The townspeople try to hide the gator from the mayor as it grows, and they make it a whale costume. When the mayor sees the alligator in the costume, we are told that the mayor disappears (the text implying that perhaps the alligator ate the mayor, although the picture shows it being spit out of the whale's mouth). When the new mayor is elected, she creates another proclamation allowing for alligators.

I feel like this book sends mixed messages. If you're talking about real alligators, people should be concerned if they show up in their town! If this book is meant to be a metaphor about prejudice, that may work. Because actual alligators are dangerous, I don't think this book would be appropriate for children who actually live in gator country. Heaven forbid a child gets injured or killed because he or she thinks that alligators can be their friends or are at least kind and cuddly like the gator in this book. Not quite sure, too, what I thought about implying that the angry Lincoln-looking mayor was killed by the gator. It certainly added a creepy tone to the book. All in all, I didn't like this book.

I received this ebook in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book was cute and was well written and the illustrations were awesome. I could see using this book in my classroom to discuss friendship and working together as a team. There is also a lesson that I can teach on not disobeying people in authority. That situation could have been handled differently but overall it was a nice book.