Arrivederci, Crocodile: or See You Later, Alligator

PreS-Gr 2–Two decades after I, Crocodile, the dashing reptile returns, featuring watercolor illustrations completed by Puybaret after Marcellino’s death. Readers of the first book will remember the crocodile’s droll narration, equal parts indignation and food obsession, following his unseemly capture by Napoleon’s army. Weary of hiding away in the Paris sewers, the crocodile sets sail for Venice, where he is mistaken for a costumed reveler and attends a lavish ball. Puybaret captures the crocodile’s rubbery flamboyance, which pairs nicely with the symmetrical architecture and opulent clothing of the Venetian masquerade. The human faces, though, show slightly less stylized definition than in the original and the text—entirely completed by Marcellino—does not completely match the crisp insouciance of his first book. Some readers may pause at the references to “Egyptian dances” such as the “King Tut Strut” and “Egyptian Conniption,” which seems to resemble a stereotypical tango. Still, fans of urbane absurdity will likely enjoy this second diversion.