Crictor

Crictor
Tomi Ungerer ~ Harper Collins, 1958

Kept alive by the good folks at Reading Rainbow, Crictor is my son's book du jour. The mere thought of someone sending a snake through the mail in a O-shaped box sends him into peals of giggles.

To make sure it was not a poisonous snake, she went to the zoo. She identified it as a boa constrictor. So she called her animal Crictor.

Snakes are not a fave as mentioned before, but this hero is totally lovable. Describing to my son what a sculptor is when we reach the part where the town immortalizes Crictor in stone is a joy.

I LOVE TOMI, seriously.

My only kvetch is that on page 21, a drawing of an octopus is used to illustrate the number eight, yet the animal is drawn with only seven legs. Tsk. Tsk. Ha! Though I'm sure the master had something in mind when drawing it. Perhaps the eighth leg is off doing something particularly wicked. I'm sure he's a rascal.

Also by:
I Am Papa Snap and These Are My Favorite No Such Stories
The Mellops Strike Oil
Zarelda's Ogre
Crictor
Seeds and More Seeds
The Three Robbers
Moon Man
Orlando The Brave Vulture
Christmas Eve at the Mellops'
The Beast of Monsieur Racine
Allumette
Emile
Book of Various Owls
Rufus
Adelaide
The Hat
Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls
The Mellops Go Spelunking

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