"There were only a very few rich animals in the world, and the richest by far was a crocodile," Postgate (Captain Hogg) begins, introducing his nattily attired (silk dressing gown, red fez, gold-topped walking stick) reptile hero. The crocodile cocks a toothy satisfied smile at readers, but in truth, he isn't happy—not like the animals he spies through his telescope. "Jenkins," crocodile tells his giraffe retainer, "Take me to the waterhole. I want to play with others." His new friends teach him that while money can offer a buffer against the uncertainties of life (a swimming pool never dries up, but a waterhole can), community and kinship with nature are more important. The story occasionally hits a speed bump when Postgate attacks his moral head-on ("Life isn't always easy, but that is what makes it so good. For us, every day is an adventure," says the elephant). But the childlike themes (when they play hide-and-seek, "Jenkins wasn't any good at hiding
but he was very good at seeking"; he can look over tree limbs to spot the elephant and underwater where hippo sits on the pool's floor), urbane cartooning and comic chemistry between the crocodile and the beleaguered Jenkins quickly set the book back on course. The message that "Money can't buy happiness" may be old as the hills, but Postgate makes it bloom anew. Ages 4-7. (July)
