cover image The Quiet Crocodile

The Quiet Crocodile

Natacha Andriamirado, illus. by Delphine Renon. Princeton Architectural Press, $17.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-61689-610-2

Fossil is a crocodile who “loves the quiet.” And although the narrator claims that Fossil has “a few friends,” he in fact has around two dozen of them—they’re lined up along the book’s endpapers, each one with a name and color-coordinated dot to help readers keep track. As Fossil sits perfectly still, members of this menagerie turn him into a version of a family room sofa: Ryan the lion and Sonny the bunny play cards on his back, while Fippo the hippo alternatively sunbathes and dances on Fossil’s snout. Scaly real estate becomes increasingly scarce, and the animals pile up on each other precariously. But what’s wrong with that? Fossil would never think of eating his friends—or would he? Readers have plenty to pore over as Renon’s precisely drawn and imaginatively dressed animals accumulate and invent new and often acrobatic antics to perform on their stoic friend’s back. Andriamirado assures readers that Fossil’s intentions are always honorable, though she leaves a sly bit of wiggle room on the final page. Ages 2–4. (Oct.)