Trosclair loves the Louisiana swamp so much that he ignores his father’s warnings about Gargantua, the rogue alligator that lives there. “ 'That alligator eat you and Ollie so fast,’ Père said, 'he won’t even stop to burp.’ ” With his dog Ollie, Trosclair paddles his pirogue through the swamp, spending a day hunting for turtle eggs, finding a beehive, and climbing trees. It’s while Trosclair and Ollie are perched high in a tree that Gargantua shows up. The alligator offers to let Trosclair escape if the boy agrees to toss Ollie down instead. But when he spots a beehive hanging nearby, clever Trosclair outsmarts the alligator at his own game. Lively French Louisiana dialect lends a distinctive voice to this satisfying tale, while the mixed-media illustrations provide a deliciously swampy backdrop. (Ages 4–7)