Synopsis: One morning, Falguni the Fruitseller finds a crocodile in a ditch, "Catch that crocolile!" shout the terrifed townspeople. But who will do it? 'Catch That Crocodile' is a hilarious onsense-verse tale of a rampant reptile and his hapless assailants, which imparts a subtle conservationist message along the way.

Review: Written in nonsense verse, ‘Catch That Crocodile’ puts the fun into reading and will delight children at home and in the classroom with its fast-paced action and energetic illustrations. Visually striking typography complements the story-line as we are led on a merry chase after a somewhat terrified looking croc. Children will be delighted by the reptile’s success as it thwarts ‘grown-up’ assailants, no more so than Doctor Dutta, who is armed with a hypodermic needle of spectacular proportions!

Despite provocation, this toothy beast doesn’t stop to enjoy human snacks en route. The book's suitability for young children is due in no small measure to Pulak Biswas’ bold green and black block-printed illustrations. Drawn in brush and ink, they vibrate with action – characters twist and turn with the text, drawing the eye naturally across each spacious page.

Anushka Ravishanka recounts her modern folk-tale with brevity and wit. While she is dubbed ‘India’s Dr. Seuss’ for her familiar use of meter, rhyme and onomatopoeia, you won’t find any ‘Hop on Pop’ style word repetition or sentence replication here, and Ravishanka’s wider vocabulary is more likely to keep older children engaged.

This edition of ‘Catch That Crocodile’ is a beautifully produced in a nicely bound, matt laminated hardback. It’s well-proportioned and able to be held open in one hand for reading aloud. Even though the cover’s title is somewhat lost against the heavy green background, quirky endpapers and aesthetically pleasing heavy matt paper pages give the book a luxurious feel. Watercolour paper is scanned into the background, providing a rich, cream coloured texture which softens the page and offsets the dense illustrations.

This is no morality tale or educational tool, but there are a number of subtle themes which provide avenue for discussion as the story culminates with an unlikely heroine, a good dose of common-sense and a willingness to let nature take its course. Repeat readings will be requested!

2008-04-06