I'd Really Like to Eat a Child

Random House 

Sylviane Donnio; Illustrated by Dorothee de Monfreid 

Achilles may be just a small crocodile, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in stubbornness. Every morning for breakfast, his mama brings him tasty bananas plucked fresh from the trees. But on this morning, Achilles refuses to eat. He has already made up his mind that today, he would really like to eat a child. His mama would happily indulge her little gator, but children don't grow on trees. Bananas do, and that's what for breakfast.

Papa Crocodile runs to the village and come back with a plump sausage strapped to his back that is as long as his body, but Achilles won't budge. He wants to eat a child. Mama and Papa put their heads together and bake the most luscious chocolate cake. Apparently these are very adept crocodiles, because they also manage to frost and decorate that cake, as well as produce a sharp knife for slicing. Achilles is sorely tempted, but remains firm in his convictions.

Achilles stomps down to the river to do some pouting, but is surprised when he arrives. Sitting at the edge of the riverbank is a defenseless child! The little croc creeps up and bares his teeth in a most ferocious way. The child turns, picks him up by the tail, tickles his belly in a most insulting way and chucks him into the river. Instead of dwelling on the failure, Achilles hops out, runs to his parents and announces he needs to eat piles of bananas, so he can grow big enough ..... to eat a child.

This was just released in paperback, and typically only the good ones makes it to paperback. I love how Achilles parents try to distract him from the child meal with the other foods. Who would have thought that a couple of crocodiles could produce a fancy cake? Achilles definitely inherited their can-do attitude, refusing to give up his dream of eating a child.  

Review copy provided by Random House.