The Enormous Crocodile facts for kids
First edition
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| 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) |
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Publication date
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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!
Contents
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:
- Josie Lawrence was the Narrator.
- Timothy Spall voiced The Enormous Crocodile.
- Cariad Lloyd played the girl who helped save the day.
- Jane Horrocks was the party girl's friend.
- Clara Ross was the party girl's other friend.
- Michael Rosen voiced Trunky the Elephant.
- Maria Darling was Muggle-Wump the Monkey.
- Richard Pearce played The-Not-So Big Crocodile.
- David Tennant was Humpy-Rumpy the Hippopotamus.
- Rob Rackstraw voiced Toto.
- Helena Bonham Carter was Mary.
- Martin Freeman played the Roly-Poly Bird.
- Sally Hawkins was the old School Girl.
- Martin Clunes voiced The Cranky Female Teacher.
- Nina Sosanya played Jill.
- Frances de la Tour was the First child in the Funfair.
- Simon Pegg was the Second child in the Funfair.
- Hugh Skinner was the Third child in the Funfair.
- Rob Brydon played the Boy in the Picnic Place.
- Alexandra Roach was the Girl in the Picnic Place.
How This Story Connects to Other Roald Dahl Books
Roald Dahl often linked his stories together!
- Muggle-Wump the monkey also appears in another book called The Twits. In that story, he has a whole family of Muggle-Wumps. A monkey that looks like Muggle-Wump also shows up in The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.
- The Roly-Poly Bird also makes an appearance in The Twits. You can also find him in Dirty Beasts.
- If you're a fan of cooking, you can even find a recipe to make an edible Enormous Crocodile! It's in Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes.
