Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Black racism, including lynching, in the Jim Crow South. 

The main characters of this book are Black children who live in a relatively idyllic small town in Florida. Although they live during the Jim Crow era, their all-Black town shields them from racism, for the most part. They live in a time and place where it is considered either unnecessary, uncouth, or dangerous to talk to children about difficult or upsetting concepts. That means that when violence does touch their town, no adults are willing to explain things to them in ways that they can understand. In the absence of clear, compassionate explanations for how Ivory died, for example, the children rely on stories and guesses. They believe stories of alligators that can turn into humans, which is in many ways easier than living in a world where white people decapitate Black people. 

Coming of age means being prepared to be courageous in the face of danger. The children decide to try to release Ivory’s spirit and defeat the gator king by singing a lullaby by the Blue Sink at night. Even though their story about the gator king does not ultimately reflect reality, their decision to do something frightening and challenging demonstrates their character growth.