Author: Yael Ichilov
Client: Am-Oved, 2014
One day, As Amalia walks with her father around Circle street, she notices that all her neighbors own pets. On her way back home Amalia asks her father for a pet. "Sure thing," says her father, "Just decide which one you want", But during supper he says that maybe, since it's her very first pet, he and Mommy should help her with some ideas. They suggest she picks a quiet pet. The kind that doesn't break things, or makes too much of a mess. "I have the exactly right pet" says Amalia. "I want a crocodile".
This funny book doesn't have much text, and relies heavily on illustration. I have located the entire family in a non-typical Israeli environment of unimaginable wealth. That caused quite a stir in my country, as it was perceived by some as a story about a spoiled little brat, who gets whatever she wants. This is very controversial in a country that suffers from increasing tension between the well-to-do and everybody else. I wanted it to be controversial, so that parents can give their own interpretation to their children, based on their own ideas on wealth and poverty.
Basically – it just made sense to me. If you are rich – you can afford a crocodile for your child. Of course you have so much more to lose by doing so. Should you grant your children's every wish? Some say it's a commentary on bad parenting, others think that the best thing you can do for your children is to help them achieve the impossible, even if it costs you.