The Underground Gators by Tina Casey
This is very fun and exciting for kids that make them think about specific parts of New York City and their home life. They really wonder why these specific places or things (hot-dog carts, smoke from streets, wires on the Brooklyn Bridge) are there in the first place.
I really enjoy how Tina Casey didn't just use New York City for a place with alligators because most children who read this book don't live in New York City. She puts these alligator stories into specific time periods and things that happen throughout children's life (what the babysitter does after they go to bed, where all the teachers go in the summer, if they are missing a sock, and why pizza is round).
A great part to the end of the book is when Tina Casey describes the urban legend of the alligators living in the 6,000 miles of sewers under New York City. It's very interesting information for the students.
I really liked this book too! I actually read this to the child in my child study and he loved it. This book is very interactive and gets children asking questions and making inferences about what they think. I also really appreciated the author's note in the end about the alligator that was said to be found in New York City in the 1930's. I think this a great book that children would just eat right up.
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