A lonely crocodile wants so badly to be someone's pet that he crawls through the pages of one family's picture book every night and into their home. He spends the time until dawn washing dishes, fighting monsters in bad dreams, and preparing breakfast for the family in the hopes that they will overlook the fact that he's a big, scary crocodile and take him in. But when they do discover him, the "frantic mother" is terrified and the "courageous father" wants to fight him. Only the children want to keep him. It's up to the kids and the kindly crocodile to convince the parents that he should stay. When the mother realizes that having the crocodile around means less housework for her, she relents. But first, she has to convince her husband, who has the final say.
Although the story itself was a bit convoluted and some of the workings of this imaginary world were unclear, the fun, creative illustrations went a long way toward explaining what the text did not. Children may also enjoy the thought of their picture book characters coming to life in the night, doing their chores and frightening away the monsters in their bad dreams. Unfortunately, it was difficult to get past the outdated gender roles, which are a product of the original 1960 copyright date -- complete with a mother wearing high heels and a dress while struggling under mounds of housework and a father relaxing in his easy chair while reading the newspaper.
EL -- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by: Caryn
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