Crocodile and Hen: A Bakongo Folktale [Hardcover]

Joan M. Lexau (Author), Doug Cushman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Series: I Can Read Books

Crocodile is determined to eat fat and juicy-looking Hen! But when he opens his mouth wide to swallow her, Hen calmly says, "My brother, don't eat me," and Crocodile just can't do it. What does Hen mean? How can Crocodile be her brother? Does Hen know something Crocodile doesn't?

Clever Hen outwits the confused and hungry Crocodile in this comic folktale from the Bakongo people of Africa.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-2-Lexau offers an easy-reader version of her picture book Crocodile and Hen (Harper & Row, 1969; o.p.), having modified the sentence structures into simple constructions. Cumulative elements flow smoothly as Crocodile worries about how he can devour Hen when she keeps calling him "my brother" and has no fear of him. Befuddled, he seeks the advice of Lizard to try to understand why he can't savor "that fat, good-to-eat Hen," and his friend offers a simple but satisfactory explanation. Cushman's multicolored, watercolor palette replaces Joan Sandin's green, yellow, and blue shades in the earlier edition. They capture the humor of the situation and the characters' expressions. A well-documented, true-to-its-source folktale.
Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. K-2. Crocodile is all set to eat Hen, until she says: "My brother, don't eat me." It's the word brother that throws Crocodile for a loop. "I live in water" he thinks, "I don't have feathers." How could we be related? His friend Lizard comes up with an answer (crocodiles and hens both lay eggs) that allows Crocodile to talk to his new sister "as a brother should." The vocabulary is basic, but quotes are introduced, giving new readers a little more challenge. The book is also a very simple introduction to the folktale format, with Lexau providing some notes about the story, which comes from the Republic of the Congo. Unfortunately, the pictures, though colorful and nicely excecuted, lack the energy the telling deserves. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060284862
• ISBN-13: 978-0060284862
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,624,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > African

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CROCODILE AND HEN: A BAKONGO FOLKTALE, March 9, 2007

By 

C. L. MACALLISTER - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crocodile and Hen: A Bakongo Folktale (I Can Read Book 1) (Paperback)

This is a simple but effective tale to teach children what we all have in common instead of what separates us. The central theme is: we are all brothers. An important message in our ever shrinking world. I gave it to our church nursery school.