Mother Crocodile

by Rosa Guy

Because Mother Crocodile tells stories of the past, the little crocodiles choose to believe she is crazy until, almost too late, they learn otherwise.

Genres: Africa, Folklore, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Rosa Cuthbert Guy (1925-2012) was an American writer.

Born in Trinidad, Rosa Guy moved to the United States with her family at the age of seven, where they settled in New York in 1932. Soon after, her parents, Henry and Audrey Cuthbert, died. After, she and her sister went to many foster homes. She quit school at age fourteen and took a job to help support her family.

During World War II she joined the American Negro Theatre. She studied theatre and writing at the University of New York.

Guy wrote a number of books aimed at young adults. Many of her books reflect on the dependability of family members who love and care for one other. Her works include: Bird at My Window (1966), Children of Longing (1971), The Friends (1973), Ruby (1976), Edith Jackson (1978), The Disappearance (1979), Mirror of Her Own (1981), A Measure of Time (1983), and New Guys Around the Block (1983), Paris, Pee Wee and Big Dog (1984), My Love, My Love, or the Peasant Girl (1985), And I Heard a Bird Sing (1987).

She is divorced from Warner Guy, with whom she had a son, Warner Guy Jr.

Reviews

[Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of African fables that was retold by a mother crocodile to the little crocodiles. Mother crocodile was extremely wise and remembered everything that she heard in the river. The little crocodiles thought the stories they heard were either boring or crazy but towards the end they realized how important it was to listen to these stories. It teaches the importance of respecting and listening to your elders. I think it would be easy to implement this into the classroom because students could think or write about a time when they didn't listen to their elders and the price they paid for it.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The paintings and illustrations are unique and offer a different look at nature and animals. I liked the story. It’s told in more of a folklore style than a narrative.

[Jesse McMorris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother Crocodile was a story of African fables that was retold in a different way by the author Rosa Guy. The plot of the book was an Uncle was telling all the children in his village a story about a crocodile who was extremely wise and remembered everything that she heard in the river. Then a monkey who loved to gossip told her children that the mother crocodile was not very wise and that they should not listen to what she has to say. A war broke out and the Mother Crocodile told the children that they should leave, after listening to the monkey the baby crocodiles wouldn’t leave and the mother left. After the war the men were celebrating and decided to get presents for their wives which would be crocodile’s purses. The pictures in this novel were illustrated by John Steptoe stayed with only a few colors like blue, green, and black. It showed a lot of pictures a story that was going on like when the Mother Crocodile left it showed just her tail but the picture showed more than the text almost did.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

1982 CSKing Illustrator Winner

Ugh...didn't like. The illustrations appear unfinished. I want to finish coloring them, but that would be a "NO."