The Ice Cream Crocodile

Elvis the crocodile loves everything about circus life: the cheering crowds, the dazzling performers, the thrill of the spotlight and, perhaps most importantly, the ice cream. There is just one problem. Sidney the Ringmaster only allows animals who are ‘fluffy, furry and feathery’ to perform. Crocodiles, it seems, need not apply. 

Dulak’s rhyming text takes this simple premise and builds it into a joyful story about friendship, perseverance and belonging. Elvis dreams of performing alongside his best friend, Flossie, and spends hours practising circus tricks in the hope that Sidney might finally recognise his talent. Yet no matter how high he leaps or how hard he works, Sidney sees only scales. What follows is a gentle but effective exploration of prejudice, inspired by Dulak’s own family connections to the Windrush Generation, and a reminder that exclusion often says more about those drawing the boundaries than those kept outside of them.

The story’s greatest strength lies in the way Elvis succeeds. He does not abandon who he is in order to fit in. Instead, he combines his love of performance with his assigned role as the circus ice cream seller, transforming both into something entirely new. The resulting spectacle is wonderfully absurd: acrobatic ice cream deliveries, airborne cones and delighted audiences. In Elvis’s hands, difference becomes innovation.

Cobb’s illustrations radiate warmth, movement and humour. The circus ring glows with candy-striped pinks, creams and reds, while Elvis’s vibrant green form ensures he remains impossible to overlook. Cobb populates every spread with characters who feel as though they have stories of their own. Swans, rabbits, hedgehogs and flamingos reward repeated readings, while attentive readers may even spot a familiar tiger in a top hat tucked amongst the crowds. As ever, Cobb understands that picture books are built as much in the margins as in the centre. Every page offers new details to discover.

What makes this picture book particularly satisfying is its refusal to suggest that belonging comes from becoming someone else. Elvis remains a crocodile from beginning to end. The change occurs not within him, but within the circus itself. Filled with humour, heart and a generous belief in the value of every individual, this is a vibrant celebration of finding a place where your particular gifts are recognised and allowed to shine.