Alligator Boy Book

What a good green life for an alligator boy!

Children's Literature

In terse, bouncy verse, Rylant tells a story that may be tongue-in-cheek, and so must be taken with at least a grain of salt. A boy who is "tired of being a boy" and "hoped to be somebody new" is happy to receive, as a gift from his aunt, a head and tail which, when put on, help him become "quite a fine alligator." His father seems to accept this transformation, perhaps because the illustrations portray the boy inside. But his upset mother must be reassured by a veterinarian before she sends him off to school. There he cheerfully engages in all the usual activities while enjoying the chance to frighten the bullies. At home, he is still happy to sit in his mother's lap. Goode requires only the minimum of props to produce a delightfully imaginative sequence of drawings "in line" with watercolors and gouache providing the particulars that the very succinct rhymes ignore. Somehow, she manages to make us believe in this boy/reptile as he goes about playing the piano or singing. In the final scene of togetherness, we are convinced of the satisfying appropriateness of the supposed transformation. Lift the jacket to enjoy the contrasting cover.