THE BIG CROCODILE BOOK
edited by Sally Grindley & illustrated by Jean Baylis
A cheery collection of verse, folktales, original stories, jokes, and miscellaneous facts about this rough-hewn reptile—seen as a calm predator in Carroll's ``How Doth the Little Crocodile''; as a friendly host in the Ugandan ``Hare and Crocodile'' (a visiting hare eats Crocodile's eggs); as a greedy fool in W. J. Corbett's ``Umbopa and the Crocodile''; and even, in the Punjabi ``The King of the Crocodiles,'' as a powerful magical being. Some entries (Hughes's classic ``Don't Blame Me'') are widely available, but most are not; each is printed in comfortably large type and illustrated, by nine artists, with colorful cartoons in different (but compatible) styles. The British slant is evident—Ian Whybrow's ``Cruel Miss Pring'' involves a double meaning that most Americans will miss (``Get into a crocodile!''); and the closing appeal to preserve endangered crocodilians seems included mostly as a matter of form. Still, a varied, inviting offering. (Anthology. 10-13)