Title Author ISBN Imprint Series Format One of this year's New York Times Best Illustrated Books is I, Crocodile, written and illustrated by Fred Marcellino. While robbing Egypt's mummies, sphinxes, and palm trees, Napoleon can't resist bringing home a souvenir crocodile as well. Unsurprisingly, all Paris is enchanted with this exotic creature. But for a crocodile with an appetite as big as his ego, being the toast of the town has its downside, too. What's a crocodile who's used to a dinner of flamingo, snake, or mongoose to make of chocolate mousse? Oh, to return to his beloved Nile! But fickle Napoleon has other plans for our hero ... While robbing Egypt's mummies, sphinxes, and palm trees, Napoleon can't resist bringing home a souvenir crocodile as well. Unsurprisingly, all Paris is enchanted with this exotic creature. But for a crocodile with an appetite as big as his ego, being the toast of the town has its downside, too. What's a crocodile who's used to a dinner of flamingo, snake, or mongoose to make of chocolate mousse? Oh, to return to his beloved Nile! But fickle Napoleon has other plans for our hero ... Fred Marcellino has already won a host of awards for his work, but I, Crocodile is special in being the first book that Fred has written as well as illustrated. So what was it that made him decide to take the plunge? "I always had serious reservations about writing a text of my own," he admits. "I have a healthy respect for writers and I've always felt uneasy about exposing myself in words, though I've been tempted. Many of the books I've illustrated have been fairy or folk tales, which weren't written with the idea of pictures as part of the reading experience. It took a lot of pushing and pulling to get things right with those books. But illustrating The Story of Little Babaji, whose text was conceived as a picture book, was a revelation - everything just occurred so naturally. I think a picture book should be a miraculous wedding of words and pictures. So I guess desperation combined with the realization that, as the illustrator of a number of picture books, I had an understanding of the needs, the structure and pace of a picture book that some writers might not have. I'm happy to say the experience was so rewarding that I've already written a Crocodile sequel, as well as three other stories." You've said that the inspiration for the book came from an obscure nineteenth century satire. Can you tell us a little more? "I have a small collection of nineteenth century picture books, and one of my favorite illustrators is J.J. Grandville, who perfected the art of the anthropomorphized animal. In one of his collections I found this little, authorless saga of a crocodile brought to France for exhibition, and his ensuing trials and escape. But my story bears little resemblance to the original which was no more than a starting point." How did the character of the crocodile develop? Did he start to take on certain characteristics as you began to draw him. He seems the kind of character who might have dictated himself rather than the other way around! "Retaining the first person narrative of the original was a good decision. He got his voice and a lot of attitude, starting on page one. And his characteristics - his gluttony, narcissism, sentimentality, etc, seemed to flow from the very first pictures I did. And yes, you're right - I sometimes feel that he wrote the book and not me." When you're illustrating Egypt, or Paris, or characters like Napoleon - do you have to do research, or do you let your imagination carry you away? "I love doing research and it's a wonderful, guiltless opportunity to buy lots of new books - one of my favorite pastimes. At the same time, even though I love immersing myself in a period, I try not to get too carried away. After all, the story is what matters. I put in as much detail as I can but try to avoid the risk of the viewer getting more interested in a costume than the character and his gesture." And finally, do you feel sorry for the lady in the pink hat ...? "Well, I fell about as sorry as I would for a mouse that gets eaten by a cat. That's life. Who could criticize a cat for eating a mouse, or for that matter, a Crocodile stuck in Paris for eating a person ... especially when there are no pink flamingos around."