Tale of a Crocodile: From a Congo Folktale

New York, New York, U.S.A.: W. W. Norton & Company , 1968. Scarce title in any form. Stated First Edition at copyright. Full number-line beginning w/1. Sienna buckram boards, pictorial boards, green spine titles on yellow field, moderate shelf wear, some rub. Pages good. Bind good; hinges intact. White bordered bookplate inside cover; large D in ballpoint adjacent. Antiquarian label inside cover: "New Method Book Bindery, Jacksonville, Illinois". Label in black with gold font and border, features table and book at center: "Bound to Stay Bound". Few small stamps for Haskins Library, USD 382 Librairies, Pratt, Kansas at title and final page. Near good fairly clean, and definitely firmly bound example of an undiscovered gem. Fantastic story of how a hungry Rabbit and his hungry children outwit a crocodile, who selfishly guards and naps in a bed of delicious juicy plantain. Why crocodiles stay close to rivers and rabbits steer clear. Charming young children's folk tale of anthropomorphic animals. A warm and friendly simple but potent tale of morality and caution. Beautifully illustrated by Ann Kirn in hues of green, yellow, and brown. Deep in the heart of the jungle, next to the slow, winding river, lay Crocodile, his chin stretched acrosss a patch of juicy young plantain. Nearby sat Ribbit, watching hungrily, wishing that Crocodile would off the delicious leaves. Slowly, Rabbit hopped closer to the leaves, closer and closer... Suddenly, Crocodile raised his huge head, opened his powerful jaws wide to show rows of sharp, pointed teet, and bellowed, "Get away from here, you little thief!" Rabbit scurried away while Crocodile settled down comfortably on the juicy plantain to continue his nap. Poor Rabbit. He was so hungry! How could he get Crocodile away from the plaintain bed? Soon a plan began to form in Rabbit's mind. He hopped home to gather all of his hungry children together, and they all set out for the river to see what they could do. How the hungry rabbits outwit the selfish crocodile makes a satisfying conclusion to this sprightly tale by a well-known author-illustrator of children's books. Ann Kirn is well known as an author-illustrator of books for children, and to date has eight titles to her credit. She grew up in Montgomery City, Missouri, and studied art at William Woods College, the University of Missouri, the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, and the University of California at Los Angeles. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University. At present Miss Kirn teaches in the Fine Arts Department of Florida State University in Tallahassee. Printed in the United States of America. Insured post.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good. Illus. by Kirn, Ann . 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.