Some time ago there was a newspaper report about a young who bear had wandered into a small town. People, naturally were scared, but instead of alerting forest rangers or conservationists they chased it. Afraid, the scared animal took refuge in a tree.  Instead of trying to trap it and return it back into the forest, they poured kerosene on its fur and mercilessly burnt it alive.

Why am I telling this grusome story, you may well wonder. The reason being that if children read books such as this one, they may just stop and think before allowing an animal who may have wandered out from the jungle, to try and return it to its own habitat, as, Meena, the little girl in this book does. 

In this story, written in flawless verse, mingled with a great sense of humour, a crocodile wanders into a town. A policeman, a doctor and a wrestler all try their might to capture it, but are unsuccessful.

However, Meena, a fisherwoman’s daughter, a clever little girl, knows just the right solution. She lays a trail of fish for the frightened beast and lures it back into the river.

The illustrations add to the charm of the book. Besides being eye-catching, the limited colour palette, adds to the strength of the message.

An absolutely delightful book, that conveys a strong message of conservation, even as it entertains.

A must read!