The Crocodile Under the Bed

November 1, 2015
British author Kerr (creator of the classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea and One Night in the Zoo, rev. 3/10) knows the kind of stories children like. When sick-in-bed Matty has to stay home while the rest of his family heads off to the Queen's birthday party (with its promised cake and huge slide), he is disconsolate. But then the big green crocodile under his bed flies him to a tropical island where there is another party (for the Kingof the jungle), and it's fabulous: not only birthday cake but a ride on a tiger's back, a slide down a giant serpent, and a lovely water glide atop a beautiful fish. When Matty gets home (just ahead of his family's return), he learns that their party was a disaster: it rained, the cake was soggy, and the slide was for babies. Matty's father assures him that he didn't miss a thing, and Matty, looking out into the picture-book audience, gleefully replies, NoI didn't, did I? Kerr's lighthearted story taps in to a deep well of childhood wishes and emotions: the secret friend, the child-centered adventure, the triumph of the young and powerless. Illustrations in vibrant colored-pencil help propel the story via a variety of vignettes and double-page spreads, and the pink skies and bright green vegetation of the magical island contrast clearly with dreary reality (which Matty, his co-conspirator back in place under his bed, seems sure to escape again in future). martha v. parravano

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2016
Sick-in-bed Matty is disconsolate: he has to stay home while his family attends the Queen's birthday party. But then the crocodile under his bed flies him to a tropical island where there is another party (for the King--of the jungle). Kerr's lighthearted story taps in to a deep well of childhood emotions. Vibrant colored-pencil illustrations help propel the story.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)