"One shiny, blue fish / swimming in the swamp. / Along came the alligator . chomp, chomp, chomp!" A similar couplet introduces each of nine increasing large groups of animals that follow the fish down the gullet of an amiable-looking alligator, usually depicted floating over the action. The last two spreads focus on the gator, who opens his jaws for one last fish--and burps up all the birds, beasts, and bugs he's swallowed. The story, reminiscent of the Danish folktale The Fat Cat, unfolds in pleasing rhymes with a memorable chorus, while the appealing ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer their own interactive elements, from smooth, furry, fuzzy, feathery, shiny, and sticky textures, to a pull-tab chomping alligator jaw and a sturdy pop-up that expands the last spread. While the book's large format may present a challenge, libraries with mini-shelves for board books will want copies anyway, perhaps for toddler story programs. A big, playful counting book that's great fun for reading aloud. -- Carolyn Phelan.