The Crossodile

by Rachel Morrisroe

BEWARE the swirling, storming Crossodile!

Though Hayden Hill likes lots of things - like eating ice-cream, playing chess, and looking after his pet lizard - some things make him a bit, well . . . cross.

And when he can't stop himself from getting crosser and crosser, a rather strange thing happens - his little pet lizard turns into a giant snapping whirlwind of a CROSSODILE!

As his out-of-control Crossodile causes destruction everywhere it goes and terrifies his friends, Hayden realises that he can't keep letting it take over.

Can he figure out how to understand his anger and tame his Crossodile once and for all?

A hilarious and heartwarming rhyming tale about understanding your anger and the importance of friendship, from incredible picture book talent Rachel Morrisroe and bestselling illustrator Ella Okstad.

More magical stories from Rachel Morrisroe and Ella
The Drama Llama
The Truth about Yeticorns

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small]

I received a n advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Kaleidoscopic book tours.

The Crossodile is a fun picture book for children about anger, rage, and frustration and how to deal with it when it strikes.
Hayden is a little boy who struggles with his anger. When he gets angry, his lizard morphs into a big, scary, mean crossodile. Hayden hates it when the crossodile comes out but doesn't understand it or how to deal with it.
When a vet visits school to see all the children's pets and the crossodile erupts and shallows her up, Haydens friend offers him some tips on how to manage and control his anger.
This book would be great to share with children, especially as a social story for children suffering with mood swings, understanding anger, and how to control it better. The back of the book has some great ideas for children to try to help them contain their own inner crossodile.

[Kerry]

A fab book. Ideal for all ages....my 4 year old doesn't quite understand the link between the crossodile and anger but understands enough to enjoy the story and explore emotions with us. As he grows, this will develop, and his understanding will be of his own crossodile, which I love.

[Devin]

I didn’t like when Hayden became angry.
I did like when Drew told Hayden how to calm down.

[Mark Jones]

Great book with fun rhymes and lovely artwork.

[Tim Roast]

“Show being cross that YOU’RE the boss”

Hayden Hill has a pet lizard, but that lizard can get cross sometimes and become a big Crossodile. It is Bring your pet to class day and when Hayden and his lizard seemingly get ignored by the visiting vet he gets angry. “This snappy pet just ate the vet!” Luckily Hayden has a friend in the class who helps him calm down with some good tips.

I like this book how it rhymes, which is set up nicely by the rhyming tagline on the front cover letting you know what to expect. I like how the story contains a message. I like how it is Hayden’s friend taking him through steps on how to control his anger. It means that little readers or listeners of this story can feel empowered to offer similar tips to their classmates should they ever get angry also. The inside back cover outlines the tips on how to calm yourself down in non-rhyming form also just to reiterate what this book is all about.

I don’t know why the Crossodile is red, presumably because red is a “cross” colour, and not to differentiate it from other stories with green crocodiles where the art of the croc looks similar, e.g. The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl. But overall, a nice book with good art and a good message written in an engaging way. 4-stars.
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