Korney Chukovsky: Crocodile

The tale in verse "Crocodile" - the first children's work by Korney Chukovsky - was first published in 1917 under the title "Vanya and the Crocodile". The book was waiting for an amazing, unheard of success with a children's audience. Chukovsky explained the meaning of his fairy tale in this way: "This is a heroic poem that encourages accomplishment of feats. A brave boy saves the whole city from wild animals, frees a little girl from captivity, fights monsters, and so on."
In the first part of the tale, Vanya Vasilchikov fights with the cruel Crocodile to save the whole city. In the second part - a protest against the imprisonment of free animals in the cramped cages of menageries and a liberation campaign of bears, elephants, monkeys to free enslaved animals. In the third part - the heroic battle of Vanya, who defends the oppressed and the weak. At the end of the third part, there is a protest against the wars of conquest: Vanya frees the animals from the menageries, but invites them to disarm, cut off their horns and fangs. They agree, stop the murderous slaughter and begin to live in cities on the basis of fraternal commonwealth... At the end of the poem, the future bright age is sung, when murders and wars will stop...
The story is all ages. Children perceive it as a story about a brave boy; thoughtful adults will see in it an anti-war pamphlet and ask themselves the question: did the author guess that he depicted in "Crocodile" one of the most serious global conflicts of the 21st century: the confrontation between nature and civilization?
The whole fairy tale sparkles and shimmers with the most intricate, most refined rhythms - melodious, dancing, marching, swift, lingering. Each change of rhythm is timed to a new turn of action, the appearance of a new character or new circumstances, a change of scenery and the emergence of a different mood.

Author: Korney Chukovsky

Illustrations: Vadim Kurchevsky , Nikolai Serebryakov

Pages: 36 (coated). Soft cover

Dimensions: 280x215x3mm

Series: Subtle masterpieces for the little ones