Catch That Crocodile! (review)

In this rhyming story imported from India, villagers are startled by an unexpected new neighbor: a crocodile. The croc is more than a match for those trying to rout it, crushing the policeman's stick, turning the doctor's tranquilizer back on him ("With a flick/ The injection/ Changed its direction"), and scaring the heck out of an arrogant local wrestler. The situation is finally solved by little Meena, a cool head amid the chaos, who baits the crocodile back to the river with the fish from her basket. While audiences are bound to question the seeming inconsistency between the river's initial great distance and later proximity, this is a spirited and silly story that gains additional energy from its folkloric flavor. The compactly rhymed text mines additional humor from typeface-controlled effects and dynamics (the reluctant policeman strikes the reptile with a timid "Thwap!", whereupon the creature promptly chomps the cop's stick with a "SNAP!"). The illustrations are predominantly a chocolatey-toned black, in inky, soft-edged splodges that suggest block printing and employ negative space as cunningly as positive (the doctor's bristling mustache and tufts of gray hair, for instance, are created negatively); daubs of green, with a crispness that suggests collage or digital application, provide enlivening contrast on every page. While the images may not carry well for a group readaloud, close-up viewers will be intrigued by the graphic patterns that constitute the crocodile and the comedic cast of dopey grownups. Use this as a contrast to less benign trickster stories or in partnership with other stories where the kid saves the day.