Princess Cora and the Crocodile

Starred review from January 16, 2017
Legions of schoolchildren will empathize with overscheduled Princess Cora, whose well-meaning but misguided royal parents insist that a regimen of boring reading, mindless exercise, and frequent bathing is the only way to ensure that she’ll be fit to inherit the throne. After they refuse her a dog, Cora channels her simmering anger into a letter to her fairy godmother, which she then rips up—a toothless act of rebellion that Schlitz (The Hired Girl) infuses with magic: “Because it was a letter to her fairy godmother, every scrap turned into a white butterfly and flew away.” Cora’s godmother gets the message, delivering a pet the monarchs justly deserve: a crocodile with an outsize id and none of Cora’s impulse to please. In illustrations that amplify Schlitz’s wry humor, Caldecott Medalist Floca (Locomotive) produces a reptile that delightfully runs amuck. A mop wig and frilly dress let princess and croc to swap places, allowing Cora much-needed freedom while the crocodile trades insults with the Queen (“Reptile!” “Mammal!”) and gnaws on the fitness-obsessed King (just a little). Utterly charming from start to finish. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management.

Davina Porter's perfectly modulated narration captures this imaginative story. Princess Cora, who is over-scheduled by her well-meaning parents, seeks help from her fairy godmother. Her aid arrives in the form of a cheeky crocodile to whom Porter assigns a croaky yet lovable voice. He gives Cora a day off by posing as the princess herself, with hilarious results. Nanny's exclamations of disapproval are expertly voiced in a high-pitched Scottish brogue. When the king is presented with this reptilian impostor, his exasperated sputtering at the croc's antics is wonderful. Porter gives the busy queen a distracted tone until she realizes the ersatz princess is not her daughter--then it's all business. This is a top-notch production, with the crocodile stealing the show. M.F.T. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine