I, Crocodile

Written by Fred Marcellino

Narrated by Tim Curry

An Egyptian crocodile who catches the fancy of the esteemed Emperor Napoleon becomes an instant celebrity in a fancy fountain in Paris. But when someone in the kitchen starts singing the praises of crocodile pie, the resourceful and very hungry reptile escapes by sewer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weston Woods
• Release date: Jan 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9780545786706

Fred Marcellino

Fred Marcellino's picture books include Puss in Boots, a Caldecott Honor Book; The Steadfast Tin Soldier, an ALA Booklist Children's Editors' Choice; and The Pelican Chorus, one of School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year. His most recent books, The Story of Little Babaji and Ouch! are both ALA Notable Children's Books. Dancing By the Light of the Moon: The Art of Fred Marcellino will open on November 9, 2002 and run through January 26, 2003 at The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This is a comprehensive show of more than 150 pieces highlighting his children's book career, and the first museum retrospective honoring the artistic accomplishments of this remarkable artist. For more information visit, The Norman Rockwell Museum website.

Reviews for I, Crocodile

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lounging around on his comfortable mudbank in Egypt, a self-satisfied crocodile is suddenly netted up and carried away to France. The Emperor Napoleon has ordered him placed on display in Paris as a trophy! At first all the attention is nice, but what’s a hungry crocodile to eat in this strange place?It’s a wickedly funny tale delightfully illustrated by the author.

[amandalk-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: A crocodile narrates his journey from living the life in Egypt to being hauled off by Napolean as a trophy rom his conquest. He mostly focuses on food, but obviously is enamoured then disillusioned with being a trophy. Under threat of being eaten himself, he escapes to the Parisian sewers.

[emilyann93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story is told through the Crocodile's point of view. He lives in Egypt but is shipped to France to be in a different exhibit. When he was back at home he was loving all the attention that he was getting but where he is now, he misses the food he used to eat and how he was treated. When the people stopped being interested in his performance, he stopped what he was doing because he was going to become dinner. He lived in the sewers in Paris and the new diet he was on was going to eat people. I don't think this would be appropriate to read to small children because they might get scared of the alligator eating people.

[jpons-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I, Crocodile was a story about a happy crocodile who lived in Egypt. He was very lazy and spoiled. He never had to work for his meals and he had a variety of a diet. On August 17, 1799 Napoleon came to Egypt and captured the wild crocodile. After two weeks of sailing the crocodile arrived in Paris. His new home was in a fountain. The crocodile did not mind because he was the center of attention. However, the attention did not last long for the crocodile. After awhile Napoleon decided to kill the crocodile and eat him for dinner. On the day the crocodile was supposed to be killed Napoleon had a ballooning mishap. Crocodile used this to his advantage to escape. He crawled through a sewer hole and lived in the sewers. This book is a great example of fantasy because crocodiles cannot talk. However, the use of history and Napoleon can make this book a little believable.

[lquilter_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A crocodile is taken from Egypt by Napoleon, and turned into a Parisian entertainment. When the crocodile fad passes, the beast escapes into the sewers and provides its entertainment (and food) from among the Parisians. Grown-ups will appreciate this book on a different level than kids -- the Napoleonic history and the mordant humor. In fact, I'm not sure exactly how well this book works for the picture-book crowd, but it's definitely entertaining in a Shel Silverstein-kind of way for the adult parents.

[rturba_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Genre: FantasyMedia: water colorAge Appropriateness: PrimaryPlot: person(animal) against societyCharacterization: The crocodile is a flat and static character. He has one goal in life, to eat. Amidst everything that happens to him the only thing he can think of is to eat and what to eat. We know nothing about him except that he likes to eat and he does not change throughout the book.Review: This is a good book of Fantasy because Crocodiles do not talk. However, the historical aspect of the story, with Napoleon, makes it very believalbe.

[yarb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Comical memoir of a charismatic croc, detailing his tribulations at the hands of Napoleon and subsequent revenge on Paris society. Full of delectable dandyish vocab which compels exuberance when reading aloud.