I'd really like to eat a child

Donnio, S.  (2007). I'd really like to eat a child.  (L. Martin, Trans.).  New York: Dragonfly Books (Original work published 2004.)

ISBN# 9780307930088

This is a story about a young crocodile name Achilles that has decided his regular diet of bananas is no longer enough. He is determined to make the switch from bananas to human children. His parents attempt to change his mind by offering him other choices but Achilles won’t sway from his decision! Achilles eventually comes across a human child and decides to make his move. What happens next will have everybody amused. There were no children or crocodiles harmed in the making of this story.

This book is great for children that are between the ages of three to five because there are elements of dark humor that both adults and children will enjoy together (as you can tell from the title).  Achilles demonstrates the behavior typical of a child that that has ever come up with an idea that they absolutely must follow through with. Children will be able to relate to Achilles as he is a likeable character – even if he would like to eat a child!

The illustrations from this book are fun and uncomplicated. Dorothee de Monfried does a wonderful job of capturing the different emotions and expressions that Achilles experiences. The drawings match the words on each page to support children in memory reading. The artwork seems to have been done using watercolour paint with the details drawn in after with dark fine liner. The story takes place in a day and the background changes from light to dark to match the change in time. Some would say that the illustrations are simple but there has been a lot of attention paid to detail! I am drawn to the illustrations in the book because they give the sense that the story is meant to be taken lightly. There is enough detail to tell the story without the words and still enough space for one to imagine and add to the story.

Before presenting this book a few different provocations that could be done include: placing crocodiles in the water table, placing crocodile/reptile books in the reading area of the classroom and, on the day of presenting the story, placing a felt cut out of Achilles on a felt board and leaving it out in an area where all the children can see.  If snack was right before story time or circle I would serve bananas at snack.

The story takes place over twenty-two pages. It is not too wordy for a preschooler to comprehend so it is suitable for reading in one sitting.  I would stop to wonder where Achilles got the idea to eat a child with the children I am reading with after he first states that he would like to each a child. Next I would wonder why Achilles wants to eat a child after he refuses the suggestions from his parents. Later on in the story when Achilles finds the little girl I would wonder if she was scared of crocodiles.  

Besides reading the story from the book, here are a few other ways that this story could be told:

1)   Felt story - make cut outs of the characters and the main props from the story and tell the story using the felt characters. Required felt pieces: mother crocodile, father crocodile, Achilles, bananas, little girl, chocolate cake and sausage. I would make sure the expressions on Achilles’s face could be interchanged or create different Achilles with his different expressions.

2)   Shoebox stage story – Make a stage with props and characters that are magnetized so that the characters can me moved by moving a stick with a magnet attached at the end on the underside of the stage. The backgrounds from the story are easy to emulate so that are a few backgrounds to emulate the change in time (light to dark) and to show the change in scenery. The backgrounds can also be copied from the book using a colour copier. Required characters and props:  3 crocodiles, female child, chocolate cake, mixing bowl,

3)   Story basket – the story could be told with plastic crocodiles (that can be placed in the water table before or after as a provocation or extension) and a doll (gender of the doll could be male so the boys in the class could identify with another character). The other props (cake, sausage and banana) can be made with needlework.

4)   Clothesline story- The day to night transition can be showcased with this method. The images can be copied from the book or you can create your own with paint following the style of Dorothee de Monfreid. Using this method also allows the viewer to make comparisons between the different facial expressions on Achilles as the story progresses.

Extensions

5 Little Monkeys Finger Play

5 little monkeys swinging in a tree (hold out five fingers and swing them)
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, “you can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be, (use other hand as crocodile mouth)
And SNATCHED a monkey right out of the tree

4 little monkeys…
3 little monkeys…
2 Little monkeys..

1 little monkey swinging in a tree,
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, “you can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be.
And MISSED! (move finger up and away)
“missed me, missed me, now you have to kiss me!” (have crocodile kiss monkey)

Making a Class Book

Use a picture of each child and in writing below the picture fill in “I’d really like to eat a __________”

Discussions

What does a person needs to eat in order to grow? Talk about different nutrients

In the story Achilles mentions being weak after a morning without eating breakfast. This can lead into a discussion of why it is important to eat breakfast and other meals and snacks.

What types of breakfasts do the children have in their families? Pictures could be brought in and the types play versions of suggested food from children could be placed in the house keeping area.

The book also shows talks about size. This can also lead to an exploration of different sizes of similar objects. For example, Achilles is a young crocodile while is parents are adult crocodiles so the props representing these characters should be of different sizes. If these props are durable they can be placed on an exploration table with blocks that are small and large and balls that are of different sizes. Alternately if the season is right, mini bananas can be compared