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Synopsis
When Harold, a large green alligator with a big mouth and an even bigger appetite, shows up at Irene's door seeking shelter, everyone hides. Except Max. Max persuades the other critters that this particular runaway needs their help. So while everyone keeps busy seeing that Harold remains well fed, Max cooks up a clever plan. But is a room filled with fake alligators enough to keep the zoo detective away?
Children's Literature
Max the duck, hero of Duck at the Door and Duck Soup, is at Irene's house playing with his animal friends when Harold, a large alligator, arrives. He begs them to hide him from the zoo detectives, since he has mistakenly eaten someone's dog. Although the other animals fear his appetite, Max remembers when he needed help and asks Irene and the others to hide Harold. And so begins a series of absurd and unworkable suggestions, until the detective arrives. Irene says she hasn't seen the alligator, while the others manage to conceal him. Harold spends the night. The next day they try to fool the returning detective. But he tells them that Harold only ate a hot dog, not a pet dog. The zoo wants him back, to the relief of the others whom Harold's appetite has made a bit nervous. The farce-like actions have the quality of an elaborate cartoon, with side comments without speech balloons and above all the exaggerated gestures of the characters. Full-page scenes, in sequence, use only enough detail to carry the plot with comic interactions. The double-page assemblage of all the animals in homemade alligator costumes makes a fitting, amusing highlight. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz