The Kindhearted Crocodile

PreS-Gr 2—This Italian import contains a smorgasbord of nods to children's literature. A kind crocodile longs to be a pet and have a home with a family. Sadly, he merely inhabits the eponymous picture book in the children's playroom. Pursuing his dream, he sneaks out beyond the confines of the book, and like the elves in the Grimms fairy tale, stealthily does all the housework. Nonetheless, he clearly perceives that families only want puppies and goldfish and each night slips back "between his covers." (Little does he know that Madame Louis Bodot's portrait hangs in this family's living room.) The multicolored crocodile crawls out into the night onto pages turned pitch black with white delicate curlicue lines outlining the furniture, reminiscent again of Tomi Ungerer's Crictor (HarperCollins, 1958). Masterful illustrations combine vibrant Jules Feiffer-like inkwork, acrylics, watercolor, bits and pieces of well-integrated colorful and printed papers, and even waxy crayon-layered rainbow textures. The tone is colloquial and the tale is recounted in a storyteller's oratorical voice, sometimes addressing readers personally. Children are brought into the family's decision making: Will they allow a crocodile in their home? Youngsters will delight in the drama and identify with everyone's point of view, including the father's, who "had as many doubts as the crocodile had teeth." This well-written, imaginative, and accessible narrative will surely inspire more storytelling from enchanted readers.—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City