The very big crocodile won't let any one else use his river. All the animals are terrified of him and keep well away. When the crocodile begins howling in pain one day, the other animals are wary and have no desire to help - except for one small mouse, who walks into the crocodile's mouth and extracts his bad tooth! The mouse and the crocodile become firm friends, whereupon the crocodile learns to be a nice crocodile after all. The illustrations are super, and the moral is clear: don't be selfish; you may need friends.