The Watermelon Seed

When a little crocodile swallows a watermelon seed in this humorous picture-book, he begins to panic, imagining how the seed will begin to grow inside him. Vines will come out of his ears! He might turn pink! Declaring that he doesn't want to be part of a fruit salad, the crocodile is beside himself, until a nice, satisfying burp bring the seed back up again. After such a close call, he declares that he will never eat watermelon again... but it's difficult to resist a favorite treat!

A simple text, with no more than a sentence or two per page, is paired with bold, bright illustrations to great effect in The Watermelon Seed. The color scheme, which features green and pink prominently, works very well on the page, while the various show more type-faces and sizes add to the storytelling fun. This title makes for an excellent story-time selection - I have seen it read aloud to great effect! - and taps in to the common childhood fantasy of a plant growing inside one's body, after a seed is swallowed. I seem to recall asking my mother whether this was possible, as a young girl. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining tales for very young children! show less

I liked this book for several reasons. One reason I enjoyed this book is because of it's illustrations. During each stage of the crocodile journey his facial expressions clearly change with his emotions. For example while eating his watermelon his eyes are squinty and he is smiling. However, once the crocodile swallows a seed his eyes become wide and full of fear. Another reason I enjoy this book is due to the language used to develop the main character. Similar to most young children, the crocodile is found making extreme statements after an unfortunate event has occurred. For example, he states "No more melon for me, never again". However, right as you turn the page we see little crocodile eating watermelon, similar to the actions of show more a little kid. I believe the main message in this book is to never stop doing the things you love, even if unfortunate events occur. show less

Fun and entertaining, this bright book is a silly and well designed book for early readers. However, I wonder how necessary it is to make a book that reinforces the childhood worry of watermelon seeds. Why do watermelon seeds get this bad rap anyway?

With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. What will he do when his greatest fear is realized? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that kids will love.

What fuun--a book that is just four colors (black, white, pinkish red, and green) and all about eating a watermelon seed. Face it, who doesn't wonder what will happen if you swallow a watermelon seed? This is entirely accurate of a person's psyche. ;)

This was Greg Pizzoli's first picture book. And while many people have iffy first book offerings, I thought this one was quite good!!

This guy went to my school and I met him at a conference -- ha! delighted to see his work in a mass market format. Also, a funny and engaging book, which deserves its award thoroughly.

I really enjoyed this book because many children have the fear about what happens if your swallow a watermelon seed. I liked how he went through thinking he could feel the seed growing after he swallowed it but in the end he burps the seed up. Another thing that i enjoyed was the illustrations were so simple. On one of the pages it is just the alligator eating a piece of watermelon. This book is simple and very straight forward and easy to follow. The main message of this book is to not stress out about something when you are unsure of the end result.