Alligator Boy

A boy is just plain tired of being a boy. So, he becomes an alligator — and it suits him just fine! His worried mother is comforted by the vet, who reassures her that all will be well, as long as the young alligator boy continues to attend school, of course. Whether scaring the class bully with his commanding grin or singing from his impressive snout in the choir, this brand-new lizard is ready to live his life with great green gusto.

With Cynthia Rylant's buoyant rhyming text and Diane Goode's irresistible illustrations, this inspired celebration of the power of a child's imagination is full of whimsical details and reptilian glee.

"It's not uncommon for an imaginative child who grows tired of being the same person day in and day out to take on the identity of someone-or something-else. In this whimsical tale by the team behind Christmas in the Country, a boy decides that by turning himself into an alligator, he can have more fun doing everyday things. Rhyming verse carries the reader through a rather formulaic storyline as the boy tries on an alligator costume (consisting of an oversize head and tail) and presents his new self to family and friends (' 'I hope you still like me,' the small gator said./ Dad nodded and patted the reptile's green head'). Goode's watercolor illustrations, which depict the Alligator Boy outfitted in his new 'skin,' carefully follow the storyline to the letter; a few imaginative touches, however, are included in scenes in which the boy's human torso is obscured, making him appear to have become a complete 'gator. The boy's life improves as he makes friends easily at school and is able to defend himself from the class bully-all while dressed as an alligator-leaving readers to assume he was previously unable to do these things. Though sweet throughout, the story's end is somewhat unsatisfying, with the boy remaining an alligator and life proceeding as usual. Ages 3-7." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[A]ny youngster who has ever wanted to assume more power than childhood allows will delight in the 'good green life' that alligator boy enjoys." School Library Journal

With buoyant rhyming text and irresistible illustrations, this inspired celebration of the power of a child's imagination is full of whimsical details and reptilian glee. Full color.

Cynthia Rylant is the acclaimed author of more than a hundred books for young people, and her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Diane Goode has illustrated more than forty picture books, including The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig, which has sold more than a million and a half copies, and the Caldecott Honor Book When I Was Young in the Mountains, also written by Cynthia Rylant. She lives in Watchung, New Jersey.