Daffodil, Crocodile

a picture book; illustrations by Tomek Bogacki; FSG/Frances Foster, 2006

They're such NICE little girls," said Mommy's friends. "So clean. So pretty. So quiet. Like a bouquet of flowers."

Triplet Daffodil does not want to be a flower, and she is sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for her sisters. With a papier-mâché  crocodile head and a "raa raa raa chomp chomp chomp," Daffodil embarks on a day of getting dirty, biting trees, and playing with her food.  One thing is for sure -- everyone knows the crocodile is DAFFODIL, not Rose or Violet.  

But what is Daffodil to do when her crocodile head falls apart? Will she go back to being a pretty little, clean little flower of a girl? Or not?

Emily Jenkins and Tomek Bogacki, who collaborated previously on Daffodil, Five Creatures and the Bea and HaHa books, team up again in this  romp through the swamp with a spirited heroine.

What People Say about Daffodil Crocodile:

Daffodil’s satisfying escape from pretty perfection will reassure girls that breaking the mold and getting their knees dirty is sometimes a very good idea, even if some people think they are “being weird.”

          —New York Times
 

"A wisely perceptive celebration of child's need to define herself."

          —Kirkus

"Daffodil's words and actions ring kidlike and true, even as they portray her desire to be unique and break free of others' perceptions and expectations."

          —Booklist

"Like Max's wolf suit, the crocodile head leads to imaginary adventures and helps free the wilder side within … Bogacki's rosy-cheeked children and soft washes of warm, bright color create a safe and homey setting for trying out a new persona, while lots of curves and movement capture Daffodil's spirited play and fierce assertion of self."

          —The Horn Book