This content was created by Lois Letchford. This content was uploaded by Lois Letchford. This is a YouTube video titled "Storytime With Isaac: 'The Enormous Crocodile' - Part 3" (uploaded 2023-05-09). The excerpt is an English narrated children's story reading / performance of Roald Dahl's "The Enormous Crocodile," delivered by multiple speakers (labelled SPEAKER A/B/C) with narrator passages and voiced character dialogue describing the crocodile's schemes at the playground and fair. It is a storytime/read-aloud excerpt rather than a conversational exchange.
Chapters
Soon, 2 children came along. They were brother and sister. The boy was called Toto. His sister was called Mary. They walked around looking for fallen coconuts, but they couldn't find any because the enormous crocodile had gathered them all up.
Oh, look!
That tree over there is much smaller than the others, and it's I think I could climb that one quite easily, if you help me up the first part. Toto and Mary ran towards what they thought was the small coconut tree. The enormous crocodile peered through the branches, watching them as they came closer and closer. He licked his lips. Can you lick your lips? He began to dribble with excitement. Suddenly, there was a tremendous whooshing noise. It was Humpty Rumpty the hippopotamus. He came down low and he was galloping at a terrific speed.
Look out, Toto!
shouted Humpty Rumpty.
Look out, Mary! That's not a coconut tree, that's the enormous crocodile! And he wants to eat you up!
Humpty Rumpety charged straight at the enormous crocodile. He caught him with his giant head and sent him tumbling and skidding over the ground.
Owie!
cried the crocodile.
Help! Stop! Where am I?
Toto and Mary ran back to the town as fast as they could. But crocodiles are tough. It is difficult for even A hippopotamus to hurt them! The enormous crocodile picked himself up and crept toward the place where the children's playground was.
Now for clever trick number 2, he said to himself. This one is certain to work!
There were no children in the playground at that moment. They were all in school. The enormous crocodile found a big log and placed it in the middle of the playground. Then he lay across the log and tucked his feet so that he looked almost exactly like a seesaw. When school was over, the children all came running into the playground.
Oh, look!
they cried.
We have a new seesaw!
They all crowded around shouting with excitement. I'll go first! I'll get on the other side! Let me go first!
So do I! So do I!
Then a girl who was older than the others said, It's rather a funny-looking, knobbly sort of a seesaw, isn't it?
Do you think it'll be safe to sit on?
Of course it will! the others said. It looks strong as anything! The enormous crocodile opened one eye, just a tiny bit, and watched the children who were crowding around him. Soon, he thought, one of them is going to sit on my head. Then I will give a jerk and a snap, and after that it will be yum, yum, yum! At that moment, there was a flash of brown, and something jumped into the playground and hopped up onto the top of the swings. It was Muggawump the Monkey!
Run!
Muggawump shouted at the children.
All of you, run, run, run!
That's not a seesaw! It's the enormous crocodile and he wants to eat you up! The children screamed and ran for their lives. Muggerwump disappeared back into the jungle, and the enormous crocodile was left all alone in the playground. He cursed the monkey and waddled back into the bushes to hide. I am getting hungrier and hungrier, he said.
I shall have to eat at least 4 children now before I am full up.
The enormous crocodile crept around the edge of the town, taking great care not to be seen. He came to a place where they were getting ready to have a fair. There were slides and swings and dodgem cars and people selling popcorn and cotton candy. There was also a big merry-go-round. The merry-go-round had marvellous wooden creatures for the children to ride on. There were white horses and lions and tigers and mermaids with fishtails and fearsome dragons with red tongues sticking out of their mouths.
Now for clever trick number 3, said the enormous crocodile, licking his lips.
Can you lick your lips? When no one was looking, he crept up onto the merry-go-round and put himself between a wooden lion and a fearsome dragon. He sat up a bit on his back legs and he kept very still. He looked exactly like a wooden crocodile on a merry-go-round. Soon all sorts of children came flocking into the fair. Several of them ran towards the merry-go-round. They were very excited. I'm gonna ride on a dragon! cried one.
I'm gonna ride on a lovely white horse!
cried another. I'm gonna ride on a lion! cried the third. And one little girl whose name was Jill said, I'm gonna ride on that funny old wooden crocodile. The enormous crocodile kept very still, but he couldn't— but he could see the little girl coming towards him.
Yummy, yum, yum, he thought. I'll gulp her up easily in one gulp.
