LITTLE DOCTOR AND THE FEARLESS BEAST

A young girl must figure out a way
to help a sharp-toothed and fearsome creature many times her size.

Crocodiles come from all over the
jungle to see the child they call Little Doctor, who attends to a variety of
ailments: splinters, sprains, and self-esteem issues. In return for her
ministrations they regale the girl with stories of adventure and fearless
beasts. Then an enormous crocodile known as Big Mean appears at the girl’s
door, and it takes some patience and an accidental trip inside Big Mean’s jaws
to diagnose the problem. Little Doctor frees four hatchlings (carried gently
inside Big Mean’s mouth) tangled and trapped by a plastic beverage yoke.
Gilmore’s crocodiles, both large and small, are reptilian and sly, even dangerous-looking,
accentuating the child’s devotion to these far-from-cuddly creatures. The girl
is light-skinned, slim, determined, and serious. Her house in the jungle is
filled with crocodile-themed art, including diagrams of the crocodilian life
cycle and anatomy, and tools of the doctor’s trade—clipboards, a reflex hammer.
The art is angular and detailed, with fine lines and subtle colors. The use of
the word “fearless” instead of “fearsome” to describe the crocodiles emphasizes
the courage it takes both humans and wild creatures to trust. Big Mean repays
with a tale of “great daring and determination”—a story about the Little Doctor
herself.