Egad Alligator! ANNOTATION
An innocent young alligator tries to make friends with various people and animals, but they all run away, shouting, "Egad alligator!"
FROM THE PUBLISHER
His brother might be tired, but Little Gator sure isn’t. He wants to go exploring. So while his brother rests on the banks of the mangrove swamp, Little Gator swims off in search of new friends. On his journey he encounters all kinds of creatures, but when he tries to introduce himself, they all run away shouting, “Egad Alligator!” Feeling discouraged, Little Gator wonders how he can make friends when everyone is afraid of him. Tired and lonely, he tries to find a place to rest, but Little Gator soon discovers that he too can be frightened.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
When Little Gator goes exploring there's no telling what trouble he'll encounter in this misadventure from the team behind Squarehead. Here, Ziefert takes an alligator's eye-view as she imagines the hero on the go. He's only trying to be friendly, but when he meets a group of people they all shriek, "Egad Alligator!" He tries to taste potato chips at a picnic and someone slings an arrow at him. Frightened, Little Gator runs away. Even as he retreats, he's rebuffed first, by white herons who think he will steal their eggs, then by baseball players who try to "bop him over the head" when he attempts to catch a ball between his teeth. When Little Gator finally meets something that scares him, the tables are turned ("Egad python!" he cries). McKie's childlike illustrations, saturated patches of thickly applied paints in pumpkin orange, gourd green and butter yellow provide just the right accompaniment. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
A young alligator goes exploring and finds that he frightens people, who exclaim "Egad Alligator!" An arrow shot at him makes him run. When he tries to befriend some herons, they panic as well. At a baseball game, his wish to play leads to a blow on his head. Wandering lost, he is himself frightened by a python. But he is soon home, ready to take his brother exploring. The exceedingly basic, almost non-existent story is almost incidental to the illustrations. McKie's shapes are stencil-like in their clean simplicity. The page designs suggest Matisse's cut-paper pictures, conveying meaning with very abstract shapes. The color relationships chosen for each double-page spread have real appeal. 2002, Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-While his brother naps, Little Gator goes exploring. He attempts to befriend a group of people and some nesting herons, but they are all afraid of him and yell "EGAD ALLIGATOR!" upon his approach. When he shows interest in the food at a picnic and in a softball game, someone shoots an arrow at him and someone else tries to hit him with a baseball bat. After these unpleasant experiences, he starts for home, only to be confronted by something that he's frightened of-"EGAD PYTHON!-which causes him to flee to his brother and familiar surroundings. McKie's flat, primitive, predominantly green and blue illustrations adequately depict the story's action but do not elevate this average tale. Florence Parry Heide's Some Things Are Scary (Candlewick, 2000) is a better choice to elicit discussion about fears. Not up to the author's usual fare.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Little Gator doesn't feel tired, so he decides to go exploring instead of taking a nap. But how can he hope to make any friends when the mere sight of him sends people running and shouting, "Egad Alligator!" Little Gator tries to befriend some people by asking them about the fishing conditions, but they quickly run away. Spying a picnic, he decides to try some potato chips, but someone shoots an arrow at him and he is soon running for his life. After several failed attempts at making friends with some herons and some people playing a softball game, he finds that he's lost. Coming to a log, Little Gator decides to take a nap before trying to find his way home, but the round, bumpy thing floating in the water isn't a log-it's a python. "Egad Python!" shouts Little Gator. He swims hard for home and finds his brother just waking from his nap. "Wanna go exploring?" his brother asks. Paintings comprised of simple yet bold strokes of color depict Little Gator and his adventures perfectly. Children will delight in the drawings as they see their own techniques mirrored in the creation of faces and the crooked placement of features. A wonderful addition to any collection. (Picture book. 2-5)
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