W
hen an adorable crocodile named Achilles scorns his mother’s bananas and makes the startling announcement that gives the book its title, young readers may experience a frisson
of tension, since they clearly wouldn’t want to become a crocodile’s breakfast themselves. In de Monfreid’s double-page spreads, which suggest the horizons of prowling reptiles, Mama and Papa Crocodile proffer sausage, then chocolate cake in an effort to distract Achilles from his purportedly inappropriate craving. But Achilles heads for the river, where he discovers a girl alone on the bank. “Yippee! Finally, I’m going to eat a child,” he thinks. “He crept up slowly and bared his beautiful teeth…” Achilles, next to the girl, barely reaches her knee; even the “RAAH” that comes out of his mouth is pint-sized. “A teeny-tiny crocodile!” she exclaims. “He’s awfully cute!” Humiliated, Achilles slinks home to munch on bananas, vowing to grow big enough and strong enough to achieve his goal. The appetizing mixture of domestic breakfast concerns and fierce child-eating monsters will leave children hungry for more. “I’d really like to read that book,” parents may hear them say. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)
