The Selfish Crocodile

by Faustin Charles, Michael Terry (Illustrator)

Overview

All of the animals are afraid of the Selfish Crocodile - he never let's them into his river, and he's always so snappy!

And so when the Selfish Crocodile finds himself in terrible pain, no-one wants to help him - after all, what if he gobbles them up? But, to everyone's surprise, there is one animal in the forest who is willing to help . . .

A brilliant tale of friendship, The Selfish Crocodile has become a picture book classic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408839317
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	06/26/2014
Series:	The Selfish Crocodile
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
File size:	71 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Faustin Charles is a renowned poet and story-teller. His collection of Afro-Caribbean rhymes was published to great success by Puffin. This is his first picture book text. Bloomsbury Children's Books are also publishing his first poetry collection in October 1998, establishing Faustin as a Bloomsbury author across the board. Faustin spends much time in schools and libraries story-telling, and is also Library Buyer for Enfield. He lives in North London.

Michael Terry is most well-known for his wonderful cover illustrations for Dick King-Smith, including The Hodgeheg and The Sheep-Pig (the basis for the successful film Babe). This is his first picture book. Mike lives in Hythe, Kent.
Faustin Charles lives in London and is the author of Bloomsbury's bestselling picture book The Selfish Crocodile.
Michael Terry's picture books for Bloomsbury include The Selfish Crocodile, Little Hotchpotch and Rhino's Horns. Michael is well-known for his characterful animal illustrations, in particular for the novels of Dick King-Smith where, amongst others, he created the cover for The Hodgeheg. Michael lives in Hythe, Kent.

Editorial Reviews

A weak story that has echoes of familiar folktales, but no resonance. A selfish crocodile who lived "deep in the forest" commands all the other animals to stay away from the river, which he considers his. "I'll eat you up!" he warns. The animals have to walk "for miles out of their way" to find drinking water. One day the crocodile has a toothache, and when the others are too frightened to get close, a mouse pulls the tooth and promises to help him in the future. Consequently, the crocodile invites all the creatures to enjoy the river, although the connection between having a friend and declaring open house is left vague. The illustrations have a greeting-card charm, with 13 animals trudging off for water bearing the same pop-eyed, frowning expression. When the crocodile groans in pain, the animals don't look toward the source of sound, but up in the air at the words "GROAN GROAN." (Picture book. 3-7) .

Kirkus Reviews