1978
WISE Score
Amazon
A greedy croc with a taste for 'juicy little chiddlers' gets outsmarted by the jungle B-squad in this darkly funny Dahl classic.
4.6
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This isn't a deep literary masterpiece like some of Dahl's longer novels—it's a punchy, mean-spirited (in a fun way) fable.
It holds up remarkably well for a book from 1978 because the pacing is fast and the villain is such a buffoon. While some modern picture books play it very safe, Dahl isn't afraid to let a crocodile try to eat a toddler, which is exactly why kids still want to read it. It’s a solid, funny choice that won't bore you to tears while you're reading it for the tenth time.
Perfect for the 4-to-8 crowd. It’s a great 'starter' Dahl book for preschoolers who can handle a bit of cartoonish peril but aren't ready for the length of Matilda.
It’s a classic 'bad guy gets his comeuppance' story. While the crocodile is a jerk, the other animals model collective action and looking out for the vulnerable.
The crocodile’s 'clever tricks'—disguising himself as a wooden park bench or a see-saw—are exactly the kind of silly, creative logic that sticks with kids.
It's a book, so zero digital risks. Content-wise, the crocodile explicitly wants to eat children, and the ending involves him being sizzled in the sun, but it's handled with slapstick humor rather than true horror.
Great vocabulary and a solid introduction to irony and dark humor. It’s more about entertainment than a moral lesson, but it rewards paying attention to the plot.
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