Synopsis
Triplet Daffodil does not want to be as sweet as a flower, and she is sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for her sisters. With a papier-mâché crocodile head and a "Raaa raaa raaa chomp chomp chomp," Daffodil embarks on a day of getting dirty, biting trees, and playing with her food. One thing is for sure - everyone knows the crocodile is DAFFODIL, not Rose or Violet. But what is Daffodil to do when her crocodile head falls apart? Will she go back to being a pretty, clean little flower of a girl?
Bright illustrations enliven this charming story of a spunky heroine asserting herself as an individual.
Children's Literature
Daffodil, Violet, and Rose are triplets, "like a bouquet of flowers," say their mother's friends. But Daffodil is tired of being mixed up with her sisters all the time. So when her mother makes a papier-mache crocodile head, Daffodil puts it on. Inside, she can happily take imaginary adventures as herself, commit mischief, and certainly not be mistaken for a flower. But when she comes out of her bath, the crocodile head falls apart. Still, Daffodil insists that she is still a crocodile, ready "to swim across the ocean and play with other creatures of the sea." And her sisters seem to want to join her. The visual tale of the need for one's own identity is told primarily in vignettes, in a simple, almost childlike style, one that includes only the most significant details. The dinner table scene, with only bits of background furniture, includes the sisters sucking up strands of spaghetti while the "crocodile" stuffs masses of the pasta into her mouth. Her words are printed in a larger, bolder type, adding to the power of her make-believe.