Customer Reviews

I, Crocodile

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Incoming rave review.

Most children's classics have either a terrific story, or a terrific main character, or terrific illustrations. I, Crocodile has all three.

The story is, as they say, high-concept. (Disney and Dreamworks ought to consider it for animation.) See, the dreamy life of this crocodile on the banks of the Nile is rudely interrupted by Napoleon, who....well, you have to read the book. It has huge entertainment value for kids, and wit that will motivate an adult to read it aloud enthusiastically even on the thirty-seventh time around. (There will be a thirty-seventh time.)

As for the beast himself, he's the greatest crocodile since Lewis Carroll's. Even bigger. (Of his own reptile, Carroll wrote, "How doth the little crocodile...." Marcellino's has a heartier appetite.)

The illustrations are spectacular. They're rich with surprise, color, and beauty. They reach the level of art without a trace of self-consciousness.

I, Crocodile is full of life. It whisks you along so absorbingly, you're hardly conscious of turning the pages. You may already know that Fred Marcellino has, for years, been one of the preeminent children's illustrators. He's now, in a single stroke, one of the preeminent children's authors as well.

So:

If there's a child in your life, I, Crocodile is a must-have book. If there's no child in your life, you might want to order it anyway. The simulated crocodile-skin cover, alone, is worth the price of admission.

I am an Elementary School library teacher and book lover. I teach library and computer skills to little kids. "I Crocodile" ranks with the greatest of the great. I'm ordering 2 copies. One is for a 3rd grader as a reward for reading books during our Book-A-Thon. The other one is a gift for my brother, a poet, who has a ph.D. in creative writing and literature. This is a book which easily will bring chortles and laughs from both.

The story is wonderful - a first in story writing forMarcellino! The art is up to his usual unforgettable standards. I,Crocidile is a must have for all little and big people - it is a great book to read and share.

There is a sophisticated, funny tone to the storytelling with lots of facinating locations and situations. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful.

I would caution parents that the central character in this book is a enthusiatic carnivore that describes in detail his favorite "meals", which just happen to live animals. Eventually, he realizes that living amongst man opens his world up to a whole new "dining" experience.

"He ate the lady!" shrieked my four-year-old. While I think Amazon's age range is approriate, and I think this is an enjoyable book, be aware that death and hunting are central themes of the story.

Fred Marcellino's "I, Crocodile" is the wonderful tale of a crocodile who happens to be minding his own business in Egypt when Napoleon comes bustling through. Determined to take anything back to France that will emphasize his strength, he snaps up the croc and deposits him in a cage in gay Paree! The crocodile, discomfited at first, soon finds that Parisian life agrees with him handsomely. He's the toast of the social set, who all begin doing crocodile-inspired dances. But when the glare of newfound fame wears off and when the local chefs begin to eye him as inspiration for a crocodile-filled pie, our croc hero turns the tables on the social set, with the consequences you might expect.

Fred Marcellino invests his crocodile with all sorts of endearing qualities. What an expressive face--and such facile body language! He is, by turns, shy, enraged, lazy, embarrassed, and more. This is the most emotionally available crocodile you'll ever see in a children's book. And the ending is perfectly in keeping with the crocodile's basic nature. Lots of fun for children, and sophisticated enough to keep the parents equally entertained.

My 3-year-old loved this book and so did I. The illustrations are beautiful, and I love the fact that the story uses advanced vocabulary words you never see in a children's book, like 'delectable' and 'fetid.' Such a refreshing change of pace from simplistic kids' stories. I disagree with the reviewer who said the ending is inappropriate for children. I explained to my son that although it might be shocking that the crocodile ate a person, he stated earlier in the book that he refrained from eating people because people respected his ancestors. This is what happens when you don't respect nature, I explained. He thought that was a perfectly reasonable consequence! I highly recommend this book if you want a change of pace from typical children's books.

A clever story about a homesick croc taken away from his home by none other than the famous conquerer Napoleon. Things worked out fine in his new home until he became the old news of Paris. Now instead of being adored and loved, he was to be crocodile pie! Find out what a croc is to do in a dire situation like this.

What a hilarious book! I just love the pictures! And the story line: what a refreshing change from the usual goodie-two-shoe kiddie stuff!

My 23 month old grandson loves this book and wants it read to him every night. He has over thirty books and this is his favorite. It was given to his father when he was a young advanced reader and he loved it too. I think the illustration is the most charming aspect of the book.

The illustrations are, indeed, fun and engaging but the content is subpar and not the kind of exposure I would want to give my child.

I'd thought that the reviewer who had written, "I would caution parents... eventually, [the main character] realizes that living amongst man opens his world up to a whole new 'dining' experience..." was overly prudish yet, alas, I agree. Who would want to read a bedtime story that involves the eating of a person?

Equally aggravating is the poor language. Many an author -from Rudyard Kipling to Oscar Wilde- has used whimsy and nonsensical sequences. But their language carries a luster that embeds indelibly within a child's mind. The turn of words is colloquial and basic: labeling Napoleon's soldiers as "bozos" is one of many examples that I can do without!