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The Enormous Crocodile facts for kids

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The Enormous Crocodile
The Enormous Crocodile first edition.jpg
First edition
Author Roald Dahl
Audio read by Stephen Fry (on the CD release)
Louise Redknapp (on the Audio cassette release)
Illustrator Quentin Blake
Cover artist Quentin Blake
Language English
Series Roald Dahl
Genre Picture book, children's
Publisher Jonathan Cape (London)
Publication date
1 November 1978 (42 years ago)
Media type Print (quarto hardback, paperback)
Pages 40
ISBN 0-224-01579-6
OCLC 4620532
LC Class PZ7.D1515 En 1978

The Enormous Crocodile is a fun children's story written by the famous author Roald Dahl. It was first published in 1978 and features amazing drawings by Quentin Blake. This book tells the exciting and sometimes silly adventures of a very hungry crocodile. He has a big plan to eat children for his lunch!

What Happens in the Story?

The story starts in Africa, in a big, muddy river. Here, a huge crocodile, who is the main character, tells a smaller crocodile his secret plan. He wants to eat children! The smaller crocodile, called the "Not-So-Big One," thinks this is a bad idea. He says children taste "nasty and bitter" compared to fish. He also reminds the big crocodile about his past failures.

But the enormous crocodile doesn't listen. He leaves the river and tells other animals about his plan. He talks to Humpy Rumpy the hippopotamus, Trunky the elephant, Muggle-Wump the monkey, and the Roly-Poly Bird. The other animals don't like his idea at all. They hope he fails and gets what he deserves. The big crocodile even tries to attack Muggle-Wump and the Roly-Poly Bird, but he doesn't succeed.

The Crocodile's Clever Tricks

The enormous crocodile tries many tricks to catch children.

Disguise One: The Coconut Tree

First, he goes to a coconut tree forest near an empty town. He hides himself by pretending to be a small coconut tree. He uses fallen branches and coconuts to look like a tree. He hopes to catch two children, Toto and Mary. But Humpy Rumpy the hippopotamus sees through his disguise and warns the children.

Disguise Two: The See-Saw

Next, the crocodile goes to a children's playground outside an old school. He uses a large piece of wood to make himself look like a see-saw. He plans to eat a whole class of children. But Muggle-Wump the monkey figures out his trick and saves the day.

Disguise Three: The Merry-Go-Round

Then, the crocodile sneaks into a funfair. When no one is looking, he pretends to be a wooden crocodile on a merry-go-round. He places himself between a brown lion and a yellow dragon. A young girl named Jill wants to ride on him. But the Roly-Poly Bird exposes his plan.

Disguise Four: The Picnic Bench

Finally, the crocodile goes to a picnic spot outside the town. He picks colorful flowers and puts them on a table. He then hides a bench and disguises himself as a long, wooden bench with four legs. He hopes to catch four children on a picnic. But Trunky the elephant discovers his last trick.

The Crocodile's Big Finish

After Trunky exposes him, there's a quick fight. Trunky gets angry and wraps his trunk around the crocodile's tail. He lifts the crocodile into the air. Trunky tells him he's had enough of his tricks. Then, Trunky swings the crocodile around and around. He starts slowly, then faster and faster!

Finally, Trunky lets the crocodile go. The enormous crocodile flies through the sky! He goes out of Earth and into Outer space. He zooms past the Moon, past stars, and past other planets like Mars. In the end, he crashes right into the Sun! The Sun is at the center of our Solar System. The crocodile is completely burned up, like a sausage.

About the Book's Style

The Enormous Crocodile is a picture book. This means it has lots of illustrations along with the story. This is a bit different from some of Roald Dahl's other longer novels. Quentin Blake drew all the wonderful pictures for this book. It was first published on November 1, 1978.

The Story on Screen and Audio

This story has been told in many ways!

Voice Actors for the Story

When the story was adapted for audio and video, many talented people lent their voices:

How This Story Connects to Other Roald Dahl Books

Roald Dahl often linked his stories together!

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