CATCH THAT CROCODILE!

A scary reptile slithers into an Indian town and people go wild. Wearing her workaday sari, Falguni Fruitseller screams. Probin Policemen in his crisp shorts unsuccessfully uses his long stick to stop the animal. Doctor Dutta in his green suit attempts to use a sleeping potion, but “The injection / Changed its direction / The doctor will wake up in June.” A famous wrestler steps up, but “The crocodile smiled / And opened its snout / Bhayanak Singh / Hopped quickly out.” Young Meena finally solves the problem in a nonviolent way by luring the crocodile to the river with several fish. The terse but nonsensical verse (the author is sometimes called “India’s Dr. Seuss”) is best enjoyed if read aloud, although there are a few awkward rhymes. First published in India (1999), the lively typography excites with its swirls and different type sizes. Again collaborating with Ravishankar (Tiger on a Tree, 2002), Biswas uses a sketchy line with some solid areas of brown and green on a creamy background to evoke a folksy woodcut style. (Picture book. 4-7)