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The Watermelon Seed
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.
With bold color and beautiful sense of design, Greg Pizzoli's picture book debut takes this familiar childhood worry and gives us a true gem in the vein of I Want My Hat Back and Not a Box.
With bold color and beautiful sense of design, Greg Pizzoli's picture book debut takes this familiar childhood worry and gives us a true gem in the vein of I Want My Hat Back and Not a Box.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2013
34 people are currently reading
2133 people want to read
About the author
Greg Pizzoli
74 books170 followersGreg Pizzoli is the author and illustrator of The Watermelon Seed, winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, Number One Sam, Templeton Gets His Wish, Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower, and coming in April 2016, Good Night Owl. He lives in Philadelphia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 906 reviews
August 22, 2025
داستان یه تمساح که عاشق هندونه است، ولی از اینکه هسته ی هندونه توی شکمش رشد کنه میترسه.
March 28, 2020
Although yes, I do tend to find Greg Pizzoli's brightly and boldly green and pink hued illustrations just a trifle too cartoon-like for my own aesthetic tastes, his The Watermelon Seed is truly so so much fun and also at the same time something to which every child (as well as every adult who remembers his/her childhood) can likely and easily relate. For honestly, who has not had fears and worries of having a watermelon grow inside of one's stomach or guts because one has swallowed a watermelon seed (or a sunflower, a pumpkin, a walnut tree, whatever, depending on the type of seeds ingested)? Fun, engaging, humorous and for me personally, I also do smilingly appreciate that Pizzoli's crocodile protagonist and narrator enjoys watermelon covered with and in salt as dinner/supper fare, as that is and always has been one of my absolutely favourite ways of consuming melons. However and truth be told I would definitely have enjoyed and appreciated The Watermelon Seed a trifle if not even considerably more if after his initial fears, Greg Pizzoli's crocodile had lastingly learned that swallowing watermelon seeds is unproblematic and not dangerous (for having the same thing occur at the end of The Watermelon Seed, with the crocodile once again swallowing a watermelon seed and proceeding to get worried, while I guess potentially funny for some if not many readers, this does kind of annoy me and makes me roll my eyes a bit).
September 25, 2015
I just loved this book.
I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK!
Our main character is an adorable and slightly neurotic little crocodile with a lifelong obsession for that red and green juicy fruit.
Look - how lovable is this guy? Is there a plush yet?
As Crocodile explains, ‘“Ever since I was a teeny, tiny baby crocodile, it's been my favorite. CHOMP! SLURP! CHOMP’”
Basically, he loves watermelon in the same way Popeye loves spinach or Homer Simpson loves donuts.
Anyone with kids in their life can relate to the singular focus for a favorite thing.
But everything changes when Crocodile swallows a seed, with Pizzoli's art doing a great job selling the worry that's come over our poor hero.
Oh no! Poor little guy..
From here, Croc’s imagination takes over, with excellent pacing from writer/artist Greg Pizzoli. Croc doesn't want vines in his ears or to become part of a fruit salad! What will happen to our poor little green friend?
This book was SO much fun to read in storytime. If you enjoy reading in a funny, worried and relieved voice, this book is for you. I use it in toddler and preschool storytimes and it held their attention throughout.
The illustrations are adorable, vivid and simple enough for them all to see and understand. I had them pretend to hold a watermelon and eat along with the main character (make sure to act out for them how HEAVY the fruit is!), even pretending to spit out a seed at the end (which luckily didn’t result in any real spit).
The kids laughed, the parents laughed and I’ll be using this book again and again.
Bonus! Here's a photo of me getting "The Watermelon Seed" signed by Pizzoli:
kit: Twitter | Tumblr
I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK!
Our main character is an adorable and slightly neurotic little crocodile with a lifelong obsession for that red and green juicy fruit.
Look - how lovable is this guy? Is there a plush yet?
As Crocodile explains, ‘“Ever since I was a teeny, tiny baby crocodile, it's been my favorite. CHOMP! SLURP! CHOMP’”
Basically, he loves watermelon in the same way Popeye loves spinach or Homer Simpson loves donuts.
Anyone with kids in their life can relate to the singular focus for a favorite thing.
But everything changes when Crocodile swallows a seed, with Pizzoli's art doing a great job selling the worry that's come over our poor hero.
Oh no! Poor little guy..
From here, Croc’s imagination takes over, with excellent pacing from writer/artist Greg Pizzoli. Croc doesn't want vines in his ears or to become part of a fruit salad! What will happen to our poor little green friend?
This book was SO much fun to read in storytime. If you enjoy reading in a funny, worried and relieved voice, this book is for you. I use it in toddler and preschool storytimes and it held their attention throughout.
The illustrations are adorable, vivid and simple enough for them all to see and understand. I had them pretend to hold a watermelon and eat along with the main character (make sure to act out for them how HEAVY the fruit is!), even pretending to spit out a seed at the end (which luckily didn’t result in any real spit).
The kids laughed, the parents laughed and I’ll be using this book again and again.
Bonus! Here's a photo of me getting "The Watermelon Seed" signed by Pizzoli:
kit: Twitter | Tumblr
April 28, 2018
Incredible illustrations with a lovely color scheme accompany a cute story of an alligator who panics after swallowing a seed.
August 12, 2022
Crocodile loves watermelon! He eats it anytime of day and he gets so excited when he eats it. This excitement comes to a standstill when one day, he accidently swallows a watermelon seed. Oh no! Crocodile can only image what’s going to happen now that he’s gone and done that. His skin is going to stretch, vines will begin growing inside his body and then, his skin will start turning a different color!! He needs help!!
Children will laugh as they hear this story and learn how crocodile solves his watermelon seed problem. I liked the how the text (including the fonts) worked with the illustrations to make this a lively, entertaining book to read and enjoy. With simple, fun illustrations this is one story that will be read over and over again 4.5 stars The Watermelon Seed
Children will laugh as they hear this story and learn how crocodile solves his watermelon seed problem. I liked the how the text (including the fonts) worked with the illustrations to make this a lively, entertaining book to read and enjoy. With simple, fun illustrations this is one story that will be read over and over again 4.5 stars The Watermelon Seed
December 22, 2024
Ivan had me read this to him 3x in a row before he took it from my hands and threw it on the floor. We both agreed on a 3 star rating.
September 20, 2023
A crocodile who loves watermelon swallows a seed, and thinks it will grow inside! Cute book with wonderful art. This would be the perfect BBQ/beach/picnic book to read to a small child - and then guess what - YOU BOTH HAVE A GIANT SLICE OF COLD WATERMELON! Another book that I think will stay with children for years.
March 14, 2022
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 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!
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 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!
August 25, 2021
I love watermelon! CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! It's the best. Ever since I was a teeny, tiny baby crocodile, it's been my favorite. CHOMP! SLURP! CHOMP!
I fell in love with this board book. My nephew Eliseo is a year in a half and loves books so I've been spending more time with baby/toddler books and OMG I love them!! This one is super cute. It's about a crocodile who loves watermelon and accidentally swallows a seed one day. He worries throughout the book until he burps the seed out. It's quite funny and Eliseo loved to mimic my burp. He now grabs the books and goes, "Uh, Oh" and then a gives a loud "Burp!" The "uh, oh" is because the crocodile swallows the seed. It's so cute to see this little person enjoy a book so much. It's one of his new favorites. I think he likes the colors most of all. His favorite books are very colorful.
I fell in love with this board book. My nephew Eliseo is a year in a half and loves books so I've been spending more time with baby/toddler books and OMG I love them!! This one is super cute. It's about a crocodile who loves watermelon and accidentally swallows a seed one day. He worries throughout the book until he burps the seed out. It's quite funny and Eliseo loved to mimic my burp. He now grabs the books and goes, "Uh, Oh" and then a gives a loud "Burp!" The "uh, oh" is because the crocodile swallows the seed. It's so cute to see this little person enjoy a book so much. It's one of his new favorites. I think he likes the colors most of all. His favorite books are very colorful.
May 25, 2022
Why? Oh why I never had such adorable characters in colorful books in my childhood??? :(
This book was funny & cute. Really love the adorable illustrations. ^_^
This book was funny & cute. Really love the adorable illustrations. ^_^
February 6, 2014
What happens when you swallow a watermelon seed? Does it grow? Does it stay there? Goodness I hope not! I’ve swallowed many, many seeds in my life. :D
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli shows readers just how big a little seed of worry can grow.
Crocodile loves watermelon! I mean LOVES!
”I like it for breakfast,
I like it for lunch.
I like a big salty slab
for dinner…and I LOVE it for dessert!”
But when a watermelon seed ends up in his belly, his imagination and fear runs wild creating all sorts of crazy outcomes for the seed and his belly. Is it enough to scare him away from watermelons forever?
We all worry, get nervous and allow our imaginations to feed into our worry. Crocodile’s tale may help young readers get through those fears with a laugh and a smile.
Great “Gulp!” and “Chomp!” words to read aloud add to the fun.
A fun tale to help settle the nerves. :)
July 8, 2016
Such a fun picture book and perfect for this time of year!
April 2, 2019
This is a big hit with Pre-schoolers at story time!
September 19, 2021
Featured in a grandma reads session.
This was more my nightmare than my groups. . . as their parents have heard my story over and over - Uncle Foster convinced me that a watermelon seed swallowed was the end of the world. It took a couple of kindly aunts and 3 cousins to persuade me otherwise.
And THAT's why I pushed him in the pool. (He was pretty mad and we had to go home quick!)
This was more my nightmare than my groups. . . as their parents have heard my story over and over - Uncle Foster convinced me that a watermelon seed swallowed was the end of the world. It took a couple of kindly aunts and 3 cousins to persuade me otherwise.
And THAT's why I pushed him in the pool. (He was pretty mad and we had to go home quick!)
February 3, 2017
The Watermelon Seed By Greg Pizzoli is humorous, light hearted and fun to read. My sons love this book. This Alligator loves watermelon and has a flair for the dramatic. Have you ever feared what might happen if you swallow a watermelon seed? Well the poor character in this book does, and watching him work through the anxiety of the moment is quite entertaining! The illustrations are simple, colorful and make the character come alive!
Geisel Award Winner
Geisel Award Winner
March 25, 2017
Loved reading this aloud to my (almost) 6-year old. SO cute!
September 7, 2020
Sometimes worries can seem bigger than they need to be. But with every bite of watermelon, there's a risk of swallowing a seed!
April 30, 2025
This story is about a croc who accidentally swallows a watermelon seed and is scared of the consequences that may arise. I read this for a crocodile themed story time and the kids seemed to really enjoy it!
*Read for story time 4/30/25
*Read for story time 4/30/25
April 5, 2025
This my jam.
September 30, 2015
This humorous children's books is about a young alligator and its favorite food, watermelon. The book starts with the alligator saying how much he love watermelon and how he loves to eat it for every meal of the day. Until...the young alligator swallows a watermelon seed. The alligator thinks of all of the bad things that could happen to him because he swallowed the seed. In the end he ends up burping up the watermelon seed and eating watermelon again. Two literary elements that I would consider noteworthy for this book are presentation and characterization. I choose presentation for a literary element because the way the book is designed through the colors, representing a watermelon, the illustrations that are on the inside pages both front and back, and the use of space on each of the pages. I think that the characterization is also noteworthy in the book because even though the main character is an alligator, the human characteristics of the alligator are very realistic and relatable. This book is considered to be fictional because it is a make believe story with a human-like animal character. It is also considered a book for beginners because the story plot is easy for children to comprehend and the illustrations on the page are simple and not too complex. Two ways that I would use the book for children to respond to it would be in Science and creative arts. For science, you could have a sensory table with pieces of watermelon and have the children try to pick of the seeds on the watermelon and feel the textures of the skin, the insides, and the seeds of the watermelon. For creative arts, you could have the children act out the book through dramatic play.
December 9, 2014
Book Information:
The genre of this book is fiction and the reading level is PreK-first grade.
Summary:
This book tells the story of a crocodile. He loves to eat watermelon. One day, the crocodile eats watermelon and swallows a seed. He begins to freak out. He thinks that the seed will grow inside of his and make a watermelon in his tummy. He runs through a long list of things that could happen to him since he ate the seed. He then says that he is not going to eat any more watermelon, but in the end decides that he loves he loves watermelon too much to give up.
Instructional Information:
This book would be a great book to read to a class of kindergardeners and have them read along with you. Since there are a lot of onomatopoeias in this book students would enjoy yelling the onomatopoeias on the page. It would be a fun activity for students to be engaged in the book.
Contextual Information:
The theme of this book is don't give up something you love. There are no ethnicities that are discussed or socioeconomic statuses. This book is written for both males and females. What I enjoyed most about this book is the use of onomatopoeias and how the author only used a pallet of four colors through the whole book.
Pizzoli, G. (2013). The watermelon seed. New York: Disney Hyperion.
The genre of this book is fiction and the reading level is PreK-first grade.
Summary:
This book tells the story of a crocodile. He loves to eat watermelon. One day, the crocodile eats watermelon and swallows a seed. He begins to freak out. He thinks that the seed will grow inside of his and make a watermelon in his tummy. He runs through a long list of things that could happen to him since he ate the seed. He then says that he is not going to eat any more watermelon, but in the end decides that he loves he loves watermelon too much to give up.
Instructional Information:
This book would be a great book to read to a class of kindergardeners and have them read along with you. Since there are a lot of onomatopoeias in this book students would enjoy yelling the onomatopoeias on the page. It would be a fun activity for students to be engaged in the book.
Contextual Information:
The theme of this book is don't give up something you love. There are no ethnicities that are discussed or socioeconomic statuses. This book is written for both males and females. What I enjoyed most about this book is the use of onomatopoeias and how the author only used a pallet of four colors through the whole book.
Pizzoli, G. (2013). The watermelon seed. New York: Disney Hyperion.
December 6, 2013
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli, published 2013.
Fiction.
Picture book.
Pre-K to grade 2.
Found via Library Media Connection, reviewed by Sara Rofofsky Marcus.
Like many children, the main character of this book loves eating watermelon, but he's scared of swallowing a seed and having it grow inside his stomach. This book follows that scary thought, showing a crocodile swallowing a seed, worrying about it growing, and burping it back up. Children will easily identify with the crocodile, and the simple text and illustrations work well together to highlight the crocodile's escalating emotions until the humorous ending. The text is especially nice because it can be both read aloud or used by a beginning reader, as reviewer Marcus states: "Using simple language and limited words per sentence, this book can be read aloud or used as a beginning reading book, Sound effects, illustrations, and questions abound, making it a wonderful book for interactive reading." This book has no objectionable content and should work well with children who love eating watermelon.
Fiction.
Picture book.
Pre-K to grade 2.
Found via Library Media Connection, reviewed by Sara Rofofsky Marcus.
Like many children, the main character of this book loves eating watermelon, but he's scared of swallowing a seed and having it grow inside his stomach. This book follows that scary thought, showing a crocodile swallowing a seed, worrying about it growing, and burping it back up. Children will easily identify with the crocodile, and the simple text and illustrations work well together to highlight the crocodile's escalating emotions until the humorous ending. The text is especially nice because it can be both read aloud or used by a beginning reader, as reviewer Marcus states: "Using simple language and limited words per sentence, this book can be read aloud or used as a beginning reading book, Sound effects, illustrations, and questions abound, making it a wonderful book for interactive reading." This book has no objectionable content and should work well with children who love eating watermelon.
December 9, 2014
The Watermelon Seed is a wonderful picture book that won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and certainly deserved it. The story follows a young crocodile who loves watermelon and wants to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, one day the crocodile swallows a seed which causes panic for the crocodile because he believes now a watermelon will grow inside his stomach! This is such a great book because of the attitude that young children have that are very similar to this crocodile. I think this gives young children the experience that when something bad happens it will always be ok in the end, just like how eating a watermelon seed is not the end of the earth.
Pizzoli, G. (2013). The Watermelon Seed. New York, NY: Hyperion Books.
Pizzoli, G. (2013). The Watermelon Seed. New York, NY: Hyperion Books.
May 8, 2017
The Watermelon Seed, by Greg Pizzoli is a story about a fear that almost everyone has had once in their life as a child - swallowing a watermelon seed. The main character, an alligator, fears just that, for he has just swallowed a seed. He wonders if a watermelon will grow in his gut or if vines will start growing out of his ears. Maybe his stomach will stretch or his skin will turn pink. The possibilities are endless. The text is minimal with no more than a sentence on each page, and the illustrations are only in green, pink and black - the colors of a watermelon. Winner of the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, The Watermelon Seed is a lovely book that should be shared with children ages 3-8. Hopefully it will calm the fears any child who has swallowed a seed in the past.
November 19, 2016
* Book Summary
This is a book about a little crocodile who loves watermelon and accidently swallowed a seed. He starts to freak out and starts to think about everything thats going to happen to him.
*awards
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (2014)
* Grade Level/ Interest level
Prek-1st
* Appropriate Classroom Use
This would be a fun book to read a loud to discuss different parts of a story.
*Student Who Might Benefit From Reading
All students
* Small Group Use / Whole Class Use
This would be an easy book for students to pratice order of events.
*Related Book In Genre
Good Night Owl
*Multimedia Connections
N/A
This is a book about a little crocodile who loves watermelon and accidently swallowed a seed. He starts to freak out and starts to think about everything thats going to happen to him.
*awards
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (2014)
* Grade Level/ Interest level
Prek-1st
* Appropriate Classroom Use
This would be a fun book to read a loud to discuss different parts of a story.
*Student Who Might Benefit From Reading
All students
* Small Group Use / Whole Class Use
This would be an easy book for students to pratice order of events.
*Related Book In Genre
Good Night Owl
*Multimedia Connections
N/A
February 12, 2015
As a kid, did you ever wonder what would happen to he watermelon seed inside your tummy?
Well, this book definitely explores that topic! "The Watermelon Seed" is filled with simple yet charming illustrations that children ages 3-8 can enjoy, read and relate to. The use of onomatopoeia in this story is carefully laid out and balanced with the rest of the text in the story.
A quick, yet interesting story that follows a little crocodile after he accidentally swallows a watermelon seed.
Will vines comes out of your ears? Will you turn pink? Find out and read!
Well, this book definitely explores that topic! "The Watermelon Seed" is filled with simple yet charming illustrations that children ages 3-8 can enjoy, read and relate to. The use of onomatopoeia in this story is carefully laid out and balanced with the rest of the text in the story.
A quick, yet interesting story that follows a little crocodile after he accidentally swallows a watermelon seed.
Will vines comes out of your ears? Will you turn pink? Find out and read!
June 3, 2015
This is the story of a crocodile that loves to eat watermelon. One day he thinks he swallowed a seed, and he starts to think a tree is going to grow out of him. This book would be a great book to read to a class of kindergarteners and have them read along. I enjoyed that it had words that the students could say or yell depending on the mood of the page. This book does a great job in illustration.
October 7, 2015
This book is adorable! Young readers are presented with occurrences of onomatopoeia that then connect the emotions and sounds from the pages directly to the reader's mind, therefore making it all the more easy to relate. This award winning classic is a great book for teacher's to keep on their shelves because it can open up discussion to help students understand the misconceptions behind swallowing a watermelon seed. In addition, it's a truly hilarious and delightful read.
December 10, 2016
Cute story of an Alligator who loved watermelon until he ate a seed. I think kids always wonder, will the seed grown in my stomach. So Alligator swears off watermelon... until he craves it again (right away) cute illustrations. I need to find someone to read this out loud. What great discussions could be had while reading this out loud. Perfect Summer book too. And there is burping in the book. Kids love burping.
February 22, 2014
#nerdlution day 45. Cute, cute, cute, in the style of the beloved Elephant and Piggie. What child, or adult for that matter, hasn't worried about what happens when they swallow a seed? Great illustrations in 3 colors, love the vines growing out of his ears, I never thought about that as a consequence!
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