Achilles the baby crocodile suddenly has no interest in the bananas his parents usually feed him to grow big and strong, announcing that he’d really prefer to eat a child. His parents offer him sausage and chocolate cake to try to satisfy his appetite, but Achilles insists that he’s only hungry for one thing: a child. He sets off on his own, and indeed does find a small girl sitting on the riverbank. Yummy! The only problem is that Achilles is much smaller than she is, and she’s not the least bit intimidated by the cute, scrawny, teeny-tiny crocodile. The surprising, satisfying ending is made even funnier by the sudden change in scale when Achilles meets the child and goes from looking like a big, fierce crocodile to a small, harmless reptile that needs to eat a few more bananas. He comes to that same conclusion himself. (Ages 3–6)

Achilles, a teeny-tiny crocodile, tired of eating bananas for breakfast, wants to eat a child instead. His parents offer more bananas, sausage, and even chocolate cake, but Achilles is determined. He heads for the river where he finds a little girl, bares his teeth, and attacks. The girl finds him scrawny, tickles him, and tosses him into the river. Hungrier than ever, Achilles runs home to eat more bananas so he will grow big enough to eat a child. Simple comic drawings bring the story to life . mjw

Originally published as Je Mangerais Bien un Enfant in French by l’Êcole des Loisirs France, in 2004. Translated by Leslie Martin.

A scrawny little crocodile wants the opportunity to bite off more than he can chew. He's tired of bananas; today he'd like to eat a child. But he's smaller than he thinks, and the little girl he chooses for his first meal puts him in his place—she picks him up and tickles his tummy! The little crocodile is going to have to eat a lot of bananas and grow a lot bigger before he can add children to his menu! Simple yet hilarious artwork brings this droll story to life.