Author shares a traditional story from his childhood (Dan people, Liberia, Africa). Mrs. Chicken outsmarts the hungry crocodile. ( )

Mrs. Chicken and the hungry crocodile is a tale of cunning wit! The chicken goes to the river to bath and when she gets there she encounters a crocodile. The crocodile tries to eat the chicken, but the chicken convinces the crocodile that they are sisters. The crocodile not sure what to think of this scheme decides that the chicken can only get fatter, so why not humor her. Both the crocodile and the chicken lay eggs.One night before the eggs are about to hatch the chicken switches her eggs with the crocodile eggs. The crocodiles eggs hatch and they are chickens. The chicken says that she was right, they are sisters, as you can see you have hatched eggs that look like me. When Hen's eggs hatched they looked like crocodiles. The hen decided since crocodile didn't think the chicks were cute she would trade children. Crocodile took Hen and chicks back to land and the Chicken never went to the river again!

The story surrounds a chicken that ventures to a river and is captured by a crocodile. Mrs. Chicken convinces the hungry crocodile that they are sisters. In the middle of the night, the chicken switches their eggs and the next day it seems as if the crocodiles eggs were chicks and the chickens eggs were crocodiles. The hungry crocodile lets Mrs. Chicken go after she convinces them to switch babies. When the crocodile says "See you again soon", Mrs. Chicken replies, "No you won't!"

Mrs. Chicken learns that while the puddle by her home is familiar and boring, it is much safer than the wild river and what dwells within it. This is a fun folktale from Liberia that teaches some good life lessons. The illustrations are playful, simple, and effective.

I really liked this story. In a class of first or second graders, it would definitely be fun to use theatre to bring it to life. Students could take on the roles of the narrator, the crocodile, the chicken, and the six eggs. ( )

Mrs. Chicken is very vain and wants to see her wings reflected in the water. She goes to a river and discovers a hungry Crocodile beneath the still waters. When she decides she needs a closer look and steps into the water Crocodile snaps her foot in his mouth. Quick thinking Mrs. Chicken convinces Crocodile not to eat her as they are sisters. Crocodile decides to give her time to prove they are sisters while she fattens her up. ( )