Why so frightened, children? He looks like a good guy to me.
"I'm the bravest croc in the whole river," said the Enormous Crocodile. "I'm the only one who dares to leave the water and go through the jungle to the town to look for little children to eat."
"You've only done that once," snorted the Notsobig One. "And what happened then? They all saw you coming and ran away."
"Ah, but today when I go, they won't see me at all," said the Enormous Crocodile.
"Of course they'll see you," the Notsobig One said. "You're so enormous and ugly, they'll see you from miles away."
The Enormous Crocodile grinned again, and his terrible sharp teeth sparkled like knives in the sun. "Nobody will see me," he said, "because this time I've thought up secret plans and clever tricks."
"You've only done that once," snorted the Notsobig One. "And what happened then? They all saw you coming and ran away."
"Ah, but today when I go, they won't see me at all," said the Enormous Crocodile.
"Of course they'll see you," the Notsobig One said. "You're so enormous and ugly, they'll see you from miles away."
The Enormous Crocodile grinned again, and his terrible sharp teeth sparkled like knives in the sun. "Nobody will see me," he said, "because this time I've thought up secret plans and clever tricks."
The Enormous Crocodile is a short children's book by Roald Dahl, published in 1978. It focuses on the attempts of the titular crocodile to gobble up as many children as he can for lunch, but each time he's foiled by one of the other animals he meets in the jungle.
The Enormous Crocodile provides examples of:
- Advance Notice Crime: Used against the titular character. He outright tells four animals that he intends to eat children as he makes his way to civilization. In turn, whenever he tries to do so, these animals disrupt and thwart his attempts one by one, and it culminates with the last one throwing him into the sun to stop him once and for all.
- Aerith and Bob: Toto and Mary, the first children the crocodile attempts to trick. Justified, since the story is set in Africa.
- Arc Words: "Secret plans and clever tricks." Not-so-secret when you tell others about said plans, and not-so-clever when you brag to those who have every reason to despise you, letting them know what you are up to so they can stop you before anyone gets hurt.
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: It's not being flung into space by Trunky the elephant that kills the crocodile, but crashing head first into the sun.
- Big Damn Heroes: The other animals when they expose the crocodile. Special mention goes to Humpy Rumpy the hippo, who charges the crocodile and Trunky the elephant, who throws him into the sun.
- Big Eater: The crocodile first plans on eating one child for lunch, then three and then six. The Notsobig Crocodile even accuses him of being the greediest croc in the river.
- Bullying a Dragon: The crocodile announces his presence to Trunky the elephant by biting his leg. Trunky is by far the strongest of the animals and flings the crocodile into the sun by his tail at the end of the story.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The titular crocodile happily gloats about how he plans to gobble up children for lunch, both internally and out loud for the other animals in the jungle to hear.
- Cassandra Truth: One of the children, noted to be a little older than the others, points out the new see-saw looks rather strange and knobbly, and questions if it is safe to play on. The other children ignore her. Fortunately, Muggle-Wump the monkey intervenes.
- Central Theme: The consequences of failing to keep your devious schemes a secret from those outside of your circle.
- Child Eater: The titular character. The other crocodiles don't consider eating children to be worth the effort.
- Covers Always Lie: The crocodile never gets close enough to four children recoiling in fear, because the other animals always arrive in time to warn the crocodile's potential victims.
- Didn't Think This Through: The crocodile should have kept his plans to eat children a secret, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to brag about what he intended to do in front of the other animals, allowing them to foil his plans.
- The Ditz: The Roly-Poly Bird, while knowing the crocodile is up to no good, doesn't realize what he's actually up to until he spells it out. It believes the answer to the crocodile's riddle is berries.
- Epic Fail: Not only does the crocodile fail to eat a single child, but he ends up thrown into the sun by Trunky, resulting in his death. Even better? He caused his own undoing by gloating about his intention to eat children for the other animals to hear.
- Establishing Character Moment: The very first thing the Enormous Crocodile does in the story is to ask the Notsobig Crocodile, "Do you know what I would like for my lunch today?" and then go on to say that he plans to eat a human child. This immediately lets the reader know what kind of character he is.
- Everyone Has Standards: The Notsobig Crocodile has no desire to eat children, and is happy to eat the fish in the river. It's heavily implied that the other crocs also prefer to stay in and around the river rather than mess with humans.
- Evil Gloating: The crocodile happily gloats to the other animals on his intention to eat the local children. This comes back to bite him when they start foiling his schemes and warning his potential victims.
- Fatal Flaw: Overconfidence for the Enormous Crocodile, to the point where he essentially defeats himself by boasting to the other animals about his intention to eat the local children without thinking that they might try to stop him.
- Fragile Speedster: Muggle-Wump and the Roly-Poly Bird cannot attack the crocodile, as Humpy Rumpy and Trunky can, but they can leap to another tree or fly away from his gaping jaws.
- Four Is Death: The Enormous Crocodile's fourth attempt to eat children ends with him being flung into the sun.
- Genre Savvy: The other animals know the crocodile is up to no good when he comes out of the river.
- Genius Ditz: Despite the Roly-Poly Bird needing to listen to the crocodile spelling out what he plans to do, he's able to tell kids at a funfair that the wooden statue on the roundabout is a real crocodile and not a fake.
- Good Is Not Nice: Trunky the elephant. He's the most stern out of the four animals and flings the crocodile into the sun at the end of the story.
- Hero Antagonist: The other animals are all disgusted by the crocodile's Child Eater tendencies, and make it their aim to warn his potential victims, thus foiling his schemes. Trunky the elephant goes a step further by throwing the crocodile into the sun by his tail.
- His Own Worst Enemy: Ultimately, the biggest threat to the crocodile's secret plans and clever tricks and life is the crocodile's own overconfidence.
- Hurl It into the Sun: The crocodile's ultimate fate, courtesy of Trunky the elephant.
- Jerkass: The crocodile, of course. Not only does he want to eat children, he antagonizes all the other animals. It's no wonder they decide to foil his schemes and have him bumped off at the end.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": This is the reaction when the crocodile is exposed. The kids immediately run to their homes in panic. Even the man running the roundabout decides he's not sticking around with the crocodile. Granted, this is only during the second and third attempts—the crocodile gets outright attacked by the animal who’s stopping him in the first and final attempts.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: Well, this is a story about a croc who wants to eat children. Averted for the Notsobig Crocodile, who doesn't think eating humans is worth the effort.
- Nice Guy: Muggle-Wump offers the Enormous Crocodile some of his nuts. Granted, crocodiles don't eat nuts, but it's the thought that counts. Not to mention he's the one who warns the children in the playground to not sit on the "see-saw" that has suddenly appeared.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The crocodile would have likely succeeded in eating at least one or two children had he not bragged to all the other animals about what he was going to do.
- Nobody Here but Us Statues: The third disguise the crocodile attempts is pretending to be a wooden one on a roundabout at a fair. He gets thwarted by the Roly-Poly Bird, who points out that the crocodile is real and not a statue.
- Obviously Evil: The Enormous Crocodile is almost always drawn with his mouth slightly open, exposing all his razor-sharp teeth. By contrast, the Notsobig Crocodile is always drawn with his mouth closed, with only a few teeth sticking out.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Toto and Mary believe it is perfectly safe to climb the smaller coconut tree, despite its trunk being a distinct shade of green. Humpy Rumpy the Hippo isn't fooled.
- Pragmatic Villainy: The Notsobig Crocodile doesn't like eating children because they're "tough and chewy, and nasty and bitter".
- Regret Eating Me: Played with. When the Enormous Crocodile tells Muggle-Wump about his plans to eat a child, clothes and all, the monkey retorts, "I hope the buttons and buckles all stick in your throat and choke you to death!" Thankfully, due to his actions and those of the other animals as well, this never happens.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The Enormous Crocodile is, at least. The other crocodiles have no interest in actively hunting down children to eat.
- Rhymes on a Dime: The crocodile makes rhymes when he gloats to the other animals.
- Shared Universe: In another of Dahl's stories, The Twits, Muggle-Wump and the Roly Poly Bird appear again and play a role in the plot when the titular ugly and mean couple abduct Muggle-Wump and his family to use in a circus, indicating the book is set in the same world as this one. It’s not made clear, however, if the Twits came to capture Muggle-Wump and his family before or after the crocodile’s escapade.
- Smug Snake: The crocodile's Fatal Flaw. He is certainly cunning, but he is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is and shoots himself in the foot by gloating about his intention to eat children in front of the other animals in the jungle. This is what allows them to foil his plans.
- Stupid Evil: It is not wise to openly admit you plan on eating a child, and the Enormous Crocodile thoroughly screws himself over by doing just that. Four times. note
- Too Dumb to Live: The crocodile. Let’s face it: outright telling someone you plan on eating a child isn’t going to end well for you, but four times?
- Villainous Glutton: The Enormous Crocodile isn't content to eat on fish like all the other crocs in the river. He would rather eat children. And he attempts to make both Muggle-Wump the monkey and the Roly-Poly Bird into a quick snack.
- Villain Protagonist: The titular crocodile plans on gobbling up as many children as he can to fill his empty tummy. Thanks to the other animals, he not only fails but ends up being thrown into the sun.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The Notsobig Crocodile is never seen or heard from again after the Enormous Crocodile leaves the river.
- Would Hurt a Child: The titular crocodile has no qualms about eating children.
