Snap and Spike
Penny O’Loughlin & Tanja Russita
Category: Children's Picture Book
Hardcover | 40 pages | 979-8-90115-006-1
Trim Size: 8.5” H x 10.3” W
Publication Date: April 7tn, 2026
List Price: $18.99 USD
Publisher: Starfish Bay® Publishing
Genre: Fantasy / Humorous Fiction / Social-Emotional Learning
Reading Level: Grade 2-3
Interest Level: Grades PreK-4
Guided Reading Level: L
Lexile® Measure: 510L
Accelerated Reader® Level/Poin: 2.7/0.5

A crocodile with a big toothy grin struggles to make friends—until he meets a spiky surprise!

Snap is a friendly crocodile, but with his enormous toothy grin, he struggles to make friends. Hoping for better luck, he ventures into the city and finds the perfect meeting spot—the pet store! He smiles at each animal he meets, but his eager grin sends them into a panic. Just as he is about to lose hope, Snap accidentally sits on Spike—a plucky echidna who isn’t afraid of sharp teeth. Together they discover an unexpected friendship. Snap and Spike is a humorous and vividly illustrated story about friendship and respecting differences. 

Penny O’Loughlin lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is the mother of two vibrant and very busy boys. She studied Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Melbourne University and works as a Landscape Designer. Penny has always had a love of children’s books. When younger, Penny would visit the children’s book section in bookstores, spending countless hours sitting, reading, and imagining. Penny’s desire in her storytelling is to simplify life’s complexities into fable-like tales, to warm hearts and hit chords with both children and adults alike.

Tanja Russita has been writing and illustrating bestselling children’s books worldwide for over ten years. Along the way she’s danced tango, taught drawing, raised a dog and three children with her husband—mostly successfully—and moved from her birthplace in Latvia to Sweden via Norway and Russia, probably a journey to be continued.

Key Features:
  • A humorous and engaging story that explores themes of belonging, acceptance, and finding friendship.
  • Encourages children to be resilient and the importance of self-acceptance.
  • Expressive and dynamic illustrations bring warmth, humor, and character to this delightful story.
Themes:
  • Empathy and understanding others
  • Friendship and companionship
  • Loneliness and connection
  • Perspective-taking
  • Self-awareness and personal growth
  • Sharing and generosity
  • Looking beyond appearances
  • Overcoming selfishness
  • Compassion and forgiveness
You may like