The Gift of the Crocodile

The Gift of the Crocodile

Written by Judy Sierra

Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins

Simon and Schuster, 2000

36 pages

Multi-Cultural

      I chose this book because the cover was so beautiful, and it intrigued me that the crocodile was being so nice to the girl. Then I saw that it was a "Cinderella" story and then it made sense. The story is about a pretty young girl named Damura who lives in the Spice Islands in Indonesia. Her mother teaches her all the things she needs to know to be a woman, how to cook, raise a garden, and most importantly, how to dance. Her mother falls ill, but before she passes away she tells Damura to always respect all the wild animals and they will help and comfort her. A woman in the village comes to Damura an offers her a doll. She says that in exchange for the doll, she must ask her father to marry her and Damura is able to convince her father to o just that. This is the only mention of her father in the whole story. Damura's new stepmother and stepsister treated her horribly and she became their servant. One morning while she is washing clothes, Damura meets a "Grandmother" crocodile. Damura asks the grandmother if she would retrieve her sarong that got swept away. She agreed and left her baby crocodile in Damura's care, and she was very kind to the baby, even when it bit her. The grandmother crocodile returned with a beautiful sarong that was not Damura's. Later, the step-sister would try the same thing, and she received the same sarong, until it turned to leaches when she wrapped it around her. She was not kind to the baby crocodile. At the end of the story, grandmother crocodile comes to her rescue again so she can go to the palace and dance for the prince. There is a twist at the end of the story, so you need to read it yourself to see what happens! They, of course, live "Happily Ever After".

      

      The illustrations are gorgeous! They are done in acrylic on watercolor paper. The colors the illustrator used are very bright and saturated. There is beautiful scenery of mountains, beaches, and the swamp. You can look at every picture on every page and it will tell you a story all its own! There are things you won't see if you just glance over it, so take a good look!

      Using this book as an introduction to a character development lesson is what first comes to my mind. You could talk to the students about why you should always be kind, not just to gain something that you want. This book would also be great for a science lesson about crocodiles. What is the difference between crocodiles and alligators. Where do crocodiles live? You could talk about the far away places they live. You could also use this book for a social studies lesson. You could talk about the way of life in the Indonesian islands and how it is different and/or the same as our lives.