Red Ted is left behind on the train and so inevitably he ends up in the lost property office which is has shelves filled to the ceiling with hundreds of lost toys. Red Ted is placed on a shelf beside a green crocodile. The green crocodile toy has been lost for so long he has forgotten the name of the child who used to own him. But Red Ted remembers Stevie and he is certain she will be desperate without him, so he hatches a plan to escape. Naturally, Green Crocodile decides to join him in the search.
The pair have one important clue which might help them find Stevie. She loves cheese and Red Ted smells like cheese. The pair of intrepid adventurers meet a huge cat and by coincidence she also loves cheese. She can smell these flavours on Red Ted and she is sure she knows exactly where to find this delicious cheese. And yes, the cat does find Stevie's house but she is not home! This is a wonderful wordless page which is sure to make your young reading companions gasp. Luckily this book is by the wonderful Michael Rosen and so you are in safe hands - a happy ending is just around the corner (or just over the page).
This book will be a terrific way to introduce your young reading companion to the way graphic novels are presented. With an older group you could also introduce the idea of a story map or graph as a way to depict the highs and lows of this narrative. Here are some discussion questions from the Philosophy Foundation. This book is from 2009 so it is sadly out of print but I found a copy in a public library here in Sydney so you might be lucky and find it in your own school or community library.
Stewart’s dense environments, filled with texture and intricate details, create a rich world for Rosen’s heroes, and his use of graphic novel–type panels offers a good introduction to sequential-image storytelling. A satisfying tale for all involved, from the adopted crocodile, satiated cat and found teddy bear to the readers who will delight in this sweet adventure. Kirkus
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