Join Books.org — it's free

Book cover of Counting Crocodiles
Fairy Tales & Folklore - General & Miscellaneous, Fairy Tales & Folklore - Regional, Poetry - Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes & Fingerplays, Poetry - Basic Concepts & Education, Fiction - General & Miscellaneous, Fiction - Basic Concepts, Counting

Counting Crocodiles

by Judy Sierra, Will Hillenbrand
Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Log in to track your reading progress.

Overview

Poor Monkey. All she has to eat are sour lemons. One day she spies a banana tree on a faraway island, but the only way to get there is to navigate the crocodile-infested waters of the Sillabobble Sea. That’s no problem when you’re a brave and clever monkey who can count to ten and back!

In this rhymed retelling of a traditional Asian tale, a clever monkey uses her ability to count to outwit the hungry crocodiles that stand between her and a banana tree on another island across the sea.

Synopsis

Poor Monkey. All she has to eat are sour lemons. One day she spies a banana tree on a faraway island, but the only way to get there is to navigate the crocodile-infested waters of the Sillabobble Sea. That’s no problem when you’re a brave and clever monkey who can count to ten and back!

Publishers Weekly

How Monkey gets from his small island to a faraway island where a banana tree grows may be a familiar dilemma but, as PW wrote in a starred review, "Author and artist, working with traditional materials, arrive at an altogether fresh presentation." Ages 3-7. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

About the Author, Judy Sierra

WILL HILLENBRAND has written and illustrated many award-winning picture books, including The House That Drac Built by Judy Sierra and his own Down by the Station. He lives in Terrace Park, Ohio.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

From the Publisher

“Witty...An altogether fresh presentation.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Delectable...A book that is meant to be read aloud.”—School Library Journal
“No ordinary counting book...Beautifully illustrated.”—Child Magazine

Publishers Weekly

How Monkey gets from his small island to a faraway island where a banana tree grows may be a familiar dilemma but, as PW wrote in a starred review, "Author and artist, working with traditional materials, arrive at an altogether fresh presentation." Ages 3-7. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Karen Saxe

This is an entertaining counting story. The illustrations are wonderful, and the cute story is told in rhyme. To its credit, the book contains somewhat sophisticated words at times (for the 3 and 4 year olds) such as 'delectable' and 'vicious.' Although unfortunately the meter does not always work, this really shouldn't be held against this overall delightful book.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

What makes a picture book memorable? Word perfect text with pictures that expand the story. My choice is Judy Sierra's Counting Crocodiles. Based on a Pan-Asian folktale, a trickster monkey living in a sour lemon tree persuades a family of crocs to form a bridge under the pretext of counting them so she can reach an island with luscious bananas. Sierra's story abounds in rich, humorous verse: "She ate lemons boiled and fried, steamed, sautTed, pureed, and dried. She ate lemons 'til she cries, 'I'm all puckered up inside!'" Crocs dressed as Goldilocks, musician crocs with pink mohawks, and some with polka-dot socks make this a "croc" of comic delight!

Book Details

Published
October 1, 2001
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages
40
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780152163563

More by Judy Sierra

Similar books