When my son was about five years old, he was afraid of almost everything! I had to be very careful about what he was allowed to watch, what he was allowed to read, and what “scary stories” he heard from his friends. This became especially difficult around this time of year, with Halloween near and scary stories all around. And that’s where Crosley came in.
The Night Buddies books are the perfect Halloween stories without a scare in them—just a fun talking crocodile who visits in the middle of the night! Here’s a little background of the books for those of you who want to see if it’s right for your kiddos.
In the first book in the series, Night Buddies and The Pineapple Cheesecake Scare, when pineapple cheesecakes start disappearing from the world’s only Pineapple Cheesecake Factory across town, Crosley, a zany red crocodile, enlists the help of young John Degraffenreidt to straighten things out. In this adventure-fantasy, the unlikely pair sneaks out of John’s house by becoming invisible, thanks to the I-ain’t-here doodad Crosley uses from the bunch of whatchamacallits hanging on his belt.
On the way to the subway they get better acquainted, and John finds out the wacky reason Crosley is red, and also what happens if he gets any water on him. They get on the Night Folks Limited train and ride all the way to the Cheesecake Factory where they meet the giant manager, Big Foot Mae.
There is danger ahead, but the Night Buddies must stay with their “Program” (the Night Buddies word for Adventure) if the world’s supply of pineapple cheesecakes counts for anything. And it surely does, especially to Crosley who is totally goofy about the things and never seems to get his fill.