Let's start by saying that any teacher who ignores Roald Dahl in their literature presentations at the elementary level simply does not know any better. I have found Roald Dahl to be one of the most kid friendly authors ever and his books are always a treat. Many of them have been adapted to movies, but the ones that haven't are the ones not to be missed.
The Enormous Crocodile is one of them...a great read aloud even at the fifth grade level. Funny and short, this story tells the tale of a hungry crocodile with razor sharp teeth that vows by the
end of the day he is going to eat some yummy, juicy children. Even his own crocodile mates think he is crazy, but it does not deter the Enormous Crocodile from pursuing his victims. As he creeps into the forest he runs into several of the forest animals like the Roly Poly Bird and Muggle Wump the monkey and tells them of his wicked plans, and it is this mistake that leads to his lack of success in the second half of the book as he attempts to impersonate several things like a coconut tree and a picnic table in order to trick the children into getting close enough to him where he can snap them up.
The language Roald Dahl uses in his books is silly and fun and the children will laugh at the thought of children being gobbled up or tasting chewy and meaty. It is a quick read and
the opportunity for making predictions is inherent given the structure of this little tale. Experienced Roald Dahl readers will also notice that some of the characters appear in his other book,
The Twits, which is equally silly and pleasing.
Don't pass it up as a read aloud in your intermediate elementary class.