cover image This is a Crocodile

This is a Crocodile

Evhy Constable. Bradbury Press, $12.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-02-724320-8

This quirky cumulative tale is pure fun. An exhibitionist crocodile balances a number of unlikely things on his snout, as the text names the objects: a rutabaga, a lute, a goose decoy, a dressmaker's dummy and so on. An unusual crowd gathers to watch, including an ostrich, a bear with a bagpipe and a rooster in a brown paper bag. Although this would have been an apt format for an alphabet book, there's little plot here; there is, however, an abundance of style and sheer enjoyment. The cocky croc exudes personality, especially when he takes a bow and his tower tumbles. Covered with purple paint (a pail of which he'd formerly balanced), he never falters, as the book ends with the beginning of a new cycle, ""This is a purple crocodile . . . showing off.'' (4-7)