[.ca] I, Crocodile (ISBN 0060088591)

From Amazon.com:
Ah, the contented life of a Nile crocodile, direct descendant of the ancient Pharaoh-worshiped Egyptian crocs. Delectable fish for dinner, exquisite pink flamingo for dessert. Life is good... until Napoleon shows up, that is. This greedy emperor wants one of everything in sight--mummies, obelisks, and yes, a crocodile for a Parisian fountain display. The nerve. But, well, life isn't all bad in Paris. Soon our hero is the "Toast of the Tuileries! The Darling of the Empire!" Life is good again... until that fickle emperor gets a hankering for Crocodile pie with Egyptian onions. It's time for this rascally reptile to make a quick getaway. Inspired by an obscure 19th-century French satire, I, Crocodile is Fred Marcellino's first hilarious effort at both writing and illustrating a picture book. His previous illustrations for children's books, including Puss in Boots, have garnered numerous awards, among them the Caldecott Honor and an ALA Notable Children's Book award. Marcellino's witty pictures and text, portraying Napoleon as a prima donna potentate and the crocodile as a not-so-innocent victim, have a sly sense of humor that will keep historians and young readers rolling in the aisles. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Best Children's Books:
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.

A real treat for children AND parents alike:
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.

Yummy!:
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!

Meet a Croc that Rocks!:
Fred Marcellino and Michael DiCapua invite you on an outlandish adventure of a crocodile in Paris. How you might ask does our vain and over-eatting friend go from the muddy riverbanks of the Nile to end up in the grand city of Paris, becoming one of the city's main attractions? He gets a little help from Napoleon of all people. But like many new attractions, our friend soon becomes old news and possibly dinner! What happens next? Well, you will just have to read and find out. Fred Marcellino does an excellent job of bringing this humorous story to life with his extraodinary art work. While I did like the book a lot, I found that some of the text might be a little unclear to younger readers. But overall, I give this story two scaly thumbs up.

Delightfully refreshing!:
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.