Little Croc’s Purse by Lizzie Finlay

Publisher: Red Fox (7 Jan 2010)

An endearing story about honesty, sharing and giving.

One fine day Little Croc finds a lonely lost purse … and it’s FULL of money!

Does he keep it and use the money for himself? Will he succumb to the temptation of some new shoes, a cool lemonade or the teasing of his friends? NO! honourable Little Croc is off to find the owner. And when the owner of the purse lets him keep it and the money inside, he soon realises that being honest is its own best reward

The story starts when Little Croc finds a purse. His friends try to persuade him to keep it. Murdoch, the local bully tries to get Little Croc to give the purse to him and at one point little Croc wonders if he should spend the money on himself.

He does hand the purse in and, the aptly named, Mrs Doolally reveals that there is a very special locket in the secret inside pocket. The children particularly liked this part of the story especially as it was unexpected and they saw how happy Mrs Doolally was. In the end she lets him keep the purse and the money as his reward for being honest. He shares some, spends some and saves some

I really enjoyed reading this book to the children and they enjoyed listening. The illustrations are lovely and we spotted something new each time we read it. Although a moral tale, it’s not over the top.At each twist and turn they asked questions and we discussed the dilemma faced by Little Croc.