Crocodile Encounters!: And More True Stories of Adventures with Animals

Crocodile Encounters follows National Geographic explorer Dr. Brady Barr as he comes face to face with crocodiles and learns more about their behavior. Crocodile Encounters has four short stories, each broken into three short chapters.  

“Undercover Crock”: To catch a crocodile, Dr. Barr usually snares it with a rope, wrestles with it, jumps on its back, and then ties its mouth and legs. It’s difficult and dangerous. While visiting a school, a student asked, “Dr. Brady, why don’t you dress up as a crocodile and join the club?” So, Dr. Barr did just that. Scientists and artists made a strong crocodile that Dr. Barr could climb into. When Dr. Barr used the suit, he got an eye-to-eye view of a crocodile. 

“Toy Story”: While visiting a school, Dr. Barr asked students for ideas on how to catch a crocodile. One student suggested using a remote-controlled toy car with a camera attached. Dr. Barr thought the idea was great. He waited until the crocodiles were basking in the sun and drove the toy car into the area where the crocodiles were sunning. Unexpectedly, a big old crocodile jumped out of the water and ate the toy car. Months later, another scientist found the toy car and the camera. The camera had recorded the crocodile’s stomach.  

“Deep Dark Den”: In Costa Rica, 13 big crocodiles lived in a lake near humans. Dr. Barr was hired to move the crocodiles to a safer place, but first, he had to catch them. Since finding crocodiles in a lake is difficult, Dr. Barr drained the lake. When the lake was empty, the crocodiles had disappeared. Another scientist found a large hole. When Dr. Barr climbed into the hole, he heard a hiss. When he turned on his flashlight, crocodile eyes stared back at him! 

“Croc in a Box”: A very large and very smart crocodile lived close to a village in Uganda. The crocodile had to be moved. Dr. Barr wanted to move the crocodile to a zoo in the United States, but first, he had to catch it and find an airliner to fly it to the U.S. Dr. Barr caught the croc and put it in a large box. Dr. Barr didn’t think the crocodile would escape, but it did! Luckily, that was before it was put on an airplane. 

Crocodile Encounters takes a deep dive into the world of crocodiles from Dr. Barr’s point of view. Readers will be amazed as they learn facts about crocodiles and how to keep them safe from humans.  

Based on the hit feature in National Geographic Kids magazine, National Geographic Chapter Series features true stories that are divided into three short chapters. The book is packed with full-color photography, lists, and infographics. Some pages also include orange boxes that contain additional facts about the animals. For example, “Humans only have two sets of teeth, but crocs lose teeth and grow new ones throughout their lifetime.”   

Readers who are fascinated by crocodiles will find Crocodile Encounters entertaining and educational. The pictures will help readers understand how crocodiles see at night and other interesting facts. Dr. Barr’s love of crocodiles comes through on every page, but readers who don’t already love crocodiles will quickly become bored. Crocodile Encounters is an excellent book to use for crocodile research. If you love crocodiles, you may also want to read the Ancient Animals Series by Sarah L. Thomson. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• In Costa Rica, crocodiles in a lake were labeled problem crocs. “They were upsetting human neighbors by attacking dogs, cats, and even cows!”  
• In most countries, when crocodiles are labeled problems, they are killed.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• Darn is used once. 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None