Hidden Meaning?

I am not a great fan of whimsical garden ornaments, gnomes, fairies, bunnies and such like. Often they seem to just clutter up a garden and add nothing to the scenery. However, on a recent trip to Ocean City, NJ we spotted this delightful duo on a property’s side yard which caused us to stop and do a “double take.”

What message is being conveyed here? Should children be wary of alligators (even though there are none in NJ) ? Is this a warning against being too engrossed in reading a book? Or is the rosy-cheeked child calming the beast by reading to it?   It’s certainly an unusual pairing in my experience. Do you have any other suggestions for interpretation?

~Richard