Man who caught 'Chance the Snapper' in a Chicago park now has his own coloring book about the gator

Grace Hauck, USA TODAY

CHICAGO — Since coming to the Windy City, Frank Robb has snagged a gator, a girlfriend and, now, his own coloring book.

Robb won the city's heart this summer after capturing an elusive alligator, affectionately named "Chance the Snapper," which mysteriously appeared in Humbolt Park lagoon.

For days, the gator evaded would-be captors. But within 36 hours of arriving in Illinois, the Florida expert caught the animal with a fishing pole.

The entire venture cost Chicago more than $33,600.

That same night, Robb threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The next day, Robb was given the honor of turning on the city's iconic Buckingham Fountain in the center of Grant Park.

“When I came here, I had a plan where I was going to try to get in here, accomplish the job I had set forth from the city of Chicago, and get out of here, and nobody ever know I was here,” Robb told CBS at the time. “The way it turned out, it worked out too, and it’s been really a complete blessing.”

'Chance the Snapper': Elusive alligator finally caught by Florida expert

A month later, Robb told the Chicago Sun-Times that he and his Chicago girlfriend had received a behind-the-scenes tour of the Shedd Aquarium. The two had met before Robb became a local celebrity, he said.

Now, all the attention is helping "Alligator Robb" achieve one of his life goals: Writing a book.

In partnership with illustrator Ben Clark and a Chicago T-shirt company, Robb is releasing "The Adventures of Chicago Chance and Frank Robb" this week.

The story is written from Chance’s point of view — from being hatched in Florida, sold to someone in Chicago and placed in the Humboldt Park Lagoon, according to a press release.

“It's amazing to have the opportunity to share the story of Chance with everyone in this coloring and storybook. This is a story of conservation of a species that I was raised around and truly love," Robb said in the release. "This alligator and I are linked for life and the blessings of this story will continue to be shared."

A portion of the proceeds from each book will be split between two charities; one for crocodilian conservation efforts and one to assist first responders, according to the release.

As for Chance the Snapper, he hasn't fared too poorly either: The gator has inspired a bobblehead from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame, two local beers (Revolution Brewing's Humboldt Gator and Urban Renewal Brewery's The Humble Gator) and multiple Twitter accounts. He is now living at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida.

Despite initial reports that Chance was 5-foot-3-inches, the director of the Alligator Farm said Friday that he is three feet.

"The Adventures of Chicago Chance and Frank Robb" is $16 and will be available online and at various venues and stores throughout Chicago and Florida.

Follow Grace Hauck on Twitter @grace_hauck.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago alligator: Chance the Snapper captor gets coloring book deal