Crocs in a Box

The three books in this boxed set, Crocodiles Say, Crocodiles Play and Crocs at Work were first published between 2005 and 2015, and all were previously positively reviewed in CM.

The most noticeable difference between the three volumes in the boxed set and the original books, besides new cover art, is the reduction in the books’ physical dimensions. Originally published in an 8.9" x 11.4" format, the three titles have been reduced to just 4.4” x 5.75”, a size that is likely more finger-friendly to the younger end of the books’ audience.

The first hint that children are going to find something different in these three books is that the author has chosen a most unlikely animal, alligators, to be at the centre of his writing. And Maté’s anthropomorphic renderings of the reptiles, while maintaining their tooth-filled snout, visually contradict the animal’s negative reputation, causing the crocodiles to appear almost pet-like.

The books’ author and illustrator work like a well-oiled comedy team with Heidbreder’s rhyming poetic text serving as the straight man and Maté’s illustrations being used to deliver the punch line. For example, in illustrating the above excerpt from Crocodiles Say, Maté’s opening spread confirms Heidbreder’s assertion that the three crocodiles are keen to welcome the morning. The trio certainly has not overslept for the hands of an alarm clock read five o’clock and, as the trio arise, the sky outside is still moonlit. Maté’s follow-up spread illustrating the words “Good morning, sun!” reveals the crocodiles to be back in bed and asleep, with the ringing alarm clock now registering 10. A well-risen sun can be seen through the crocodiles’ bedroom window. So, technically speaking, the crocodiles didn’t sleep in, but.... This twist on the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do”, continues as the three crocodiles go through the day, including having breakfast, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, going to school, and working out at the gym before returning home for the night.

The same three crocodiles appear in Crocodiles Play where each of Heidbreder’s verses finds the trio assembling the equipment and clothing necessary to play a specific sport. For example, Heidbreder’s text reads,

“Time to play!”
the Crocs all shout.
They grab their gear
and clamber out.
They’re snappy Crocs
in cool outfits—
blue caps, new shoes
and well-worn mitts.
They pick a bat.
No more delay!
The sporty Crocs
leap in to play—

Because Maté’s artwork shows the Crocs donning baseball uniforms and grabbing balls and bats, readers would logically complete “The sporty Crocs leap in to play—” with the word “baseball”, but, as Maté’s next spread reveals, that conclusion would be wrong as the trio are shown in their baseball gear trying to play basketball on an outdoor court. And this misdirection continues with golfing equipment being used in a baseball game and table tennis being played by those outfitted for basketball. Heidbreder and Maté continue their word/visual collaboration but incorporate some child-familiar activities. Consequently, a game of tag is played by crocodiles that were dressed for a tennis match while soccer players engage in hide and seek, and ring-around-the-rosie is the game of choice of bulky football players. The author and illustrator throw one last curve at their young readers in the last pair of spreads, with the text reading:

Now for the funnest game of all,
with skates and ice
and not one ball.
Crocs tape their tales
just like their sticks
and lace their skates
for on-ice tricks.
Off from the boards
into the fray,
indoors or out
Crocs love to play—

Having been delightfully deceived a number of times before, young readers will be reluctant to state the obvious, but this time they would have been correct for Heidbreder’s answer is “Hockey!” I guess you just can’t mess with Canada’s game.

In Crocs at Work, perhaps because “work” is an adult activity, Maté doesn’t return to the three young crocodiles readers had met in the two previous books. Instead, a number of new crocodiles are used to illustrate a variety of occupations that are performed by the crocs in most unusual ways. Heidbreder’s poetic text sets out what each job entails, and then Maté’s spreads reveal how the crocodiles actually carry out their functions. And so the school bus driver doesn’t use a bus to transport the students to school; instead, the driver leads a walking school bus. A mail carrier turns mail deliveries into a treasure hunt for home owners while nurses and doctors almost mummify their patients via their enthusiastic overuse of band-aids and bandages. Restaurant chefs create delicious meals but then eat the food themselves, leaving customers hungry. House painters turn into Jackson Pollocks while florists devour their floral creations. Young readers’ favorite may be the crocodile teacher who doesn’t actually teach but just spends the day in play with the students.

In their original format, Crocodiles Say, Crocodiles Play and Crocs at Work offered youngsters lots of verbal and visual fun, and, while the books’ size has been diminished, their appeal has not. In fact, the new format may be even more appealing as the book’s reduced dimensions make them more easily transportable. One or more could be easily slipped into a backpack/purse or left in a vehicle’s glove compartment for those moments that offer unexpected reading time. Crocs in a Box, the set, would make an excellent gift and at a cost much less than purchasing all of the original titles individually.