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One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree

Daniel Bernstrom,

Brendan Wenzel (Illustrator)

3.75 · Rating details · 1,000 ratings · 199 reviews

“A hungry snake. A beautiful brown boy. What more can a young reader ask for?”—National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson

A sneaky snake has no idea that the captives in his belly are planning their escape! In the spirit of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback, the reader sees a cutaway of the snake’s belly and can even guess how the tale ends!

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Hardcover, 32 pages

Published May 3rd 2016 by HarperCollins

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One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom

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Average rating 3.75 ·

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· 1,000 ratings · 199 reviews

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Apr 28, 2016 Betsy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books-2016-best

Like any children’s librarian, I like to assess each picture book that crosses by my eyeballs for readaloud potential. While every picture book (even the wordless ones) can be read aloud to a large group of children, only a select few thrive in that environment. It takes a certain magical combination of art and text to render a story readaloud-perfect. Books you can sing have a leg up. Ditto books with flaps or pull-tabs. But the nice thing about Bernstrom’s book One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucal Like any children’s librarian, I like to assess each picture book that crosses by my eyeballs for readaloud potential. While every picture book (even the wordless ones) can be read aloud to a large group of children, only a select few thrive in that environment. It takes a certain magical combination of art and text to render a story readaloud-perfect. Books you can sing have a leg up. Ditto books with flaps or pull-tabs. But the nice thing about Bernstrom’s book One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree is that it doesn’t need to rely on those extra features to enrapture an audience. The book’s lilting rhymes, when practiced beforehand, have the potential to render an audience entranced. Add in the art of Brendan Wenzel, and how well it reads across a room, and you’ve got yourself the makings of what might possibly be the best readaloud picture book of the year.

A boy and his whirly-twirly toy are just the first things to disappear down the gullet of a hungry yellow snake. But rather than bemoan his fate, the boy gets to work in his new role as the snake’s inner id. Commenting on the sheer amount of room and space in the belly, the boy cajoles the snake into eating more and more and more. From birds and worms, to mossy sloths, to a single apple bearing a tiny fly, the creatures slide down the snake’s rapidly expanding throat. A final meal proves too much for the voracious viper and next thing you know boy, toy, and a host of other animals are upchucked back into the world from whence they came. A sly illustration at the end suggests that history may repeat itself soon.

It’s not as if Mr. Bernstrom is the first person to find the word “eucalyptus” so exceedingly delicious to both tongue and ear, but he certainly seems to have been the most prominent in recent memory. As I read the book the language of the reading triggered something in my brain. Something long forgot. And though his name evokes strong feelings in every possible direction, it was Rudyard Kipling I thought of as I read this tale. Specifically the tale of “How the Elephant Got His Trunk”. Though that story does not realize how superb the word “eucalyptus” is when repeated, Kipling got a great deal of mileage out of illustrating thoughts with words. Terms like “great grey greasy Limpopo river”, “Kolokolo Bird”, and “the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake” make those of us reading the stories aloud sound good. Bernstrom is writing for a younger audience so he doesn’t flex his muscles quite as far as Kipling did, but at the same time you recognize that he has the potential to do so. One hopes his future publishing plans may include longer stories just meant for sharing aloud. Lord knows we need more authors like that these days.

The story itself sounds familiar when you read it, but that may have to do more with familiar tropes than a tale we've actually seen done. The book also taps into a very popular method of extracting eaten creatures from predators’ bellies: burping. Vomiting works too, though the word sounds more disgusting, so usually in cases like this book the critters are released in a big old burp. In this case, we’re basically seeing a nature-based version of that Monty Python skit where the diner is persuaded to eat one final item (“It’s wafer-thin”). It’s odd to enjoy so much a book where a kid tricks the animal it is within to throw up, but there you go. The storytelling itself is top notch too, though I had a moment of confusion when the snake ate the beehive. Seems to me that that moment is where the boy’s plan potentially takes a turn south. Being stuck in a snake’s belly is one thing. Being stuck in a snake’s belly with flying, stinging insects? Thanks but no.

Illustrator Brendan Wenzel burst onto the children’s picture book illustration scene in 2014 but his rise in prominence since that time has been slow. The artist first caught everyone's eye when he illustrated Angela DiTerlizzi’s Some Bugs but it was the cover art of Ellen Jackson’s Beastly Babies the following year that was the most eye-catching. That cover sold that book. An ardent conservationist, it makes a lot of sense to turn to Wenzel when you’ve a story chock full of sloths, snakes, and bees. With Bernstrom’s tale, Wenzel must render this tale in the style of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Which is to say, he needs to balance horror with humor. Books where the protagonist gets eaten are common. Books where the protagonist gets eaten and then continues to comment on the action are rare. Wenzel’s snake falls into that category of villains that must be vicious enough to serve as a legitimate threat, but tame enough that a four-year-old won’t fear them on sight. To do this, Wenzel’s art takes on a distinctly jovial tone that treads towards the cartoonish without ever falling in completely. The colors are bright but not overwhelming, just as the action is consistent without horrifying the audience. Most of the creatures handle being eaten with gentle good grace (though the sloth looks more than a little put out about the whole thing).

The idea of being eaten whole is as old as “Little Red Riding Hood”. Heck, it’s even older than that. Look at the Greek myths of Cronus devouring his children whole. Look at any myth or legend that talks of children springing unharmed or fully formed from within nasty beasties. Together, Bernstrom and Wenzel take this ancient idea and turn it into a trickster tale. Usually it’s the eater doing the tricking, and not the eaten, but One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree isn’t afraid to shake things up (or, for that matter, swallow them down). An oddly peppy little tale of surviving through another’s hubris, this is bound to become one of those readaloud picture books that teachers and librarians lean heavily on for decades to come. Look out, Bernstrom and Wenzel. You guys just went and created for yourselves a masterpiece.
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Apr 14, 2017 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books-standalone, picture-books-home-library, 2017, picture-books, review-on-amazon, pictures-with-boo, reviewed, picture-books-stars-5, picture-books-brown-kid, picture-books-stellar-art

Check out more Picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

A boy and his whirly-twirly toy is the first thing down the throat of a hungry yellow snake. Many creatures follow as the boy urges the snake to give in to his base appetite.

I loved this book! The illustrations were incredible! They really made the story come alive. There is this sing song verse like sense to the words and it's easy for any child to pick up on the repetitions and this make all the action verbs easier to read. It wa ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-books, picture-book

Cybils finalist for best fiction picture book.

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Mar 30, 2019 Abigail rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Readers Looking for Entertaining Story-Time Tales / Brendan Wenzel Fans

Shelves: picture-books, african-american-children, childrens-poetry

One day in the eucalyptus, eucalyptus tree a clever little boy is swallowed by a sneaky snake, but manages to outwit his serpentine enemy by convincing him to eat too much, thereby leading to an explosive liberation for all.

An entertaining cumulative tale told in rhyme, One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree apparently came to first-time author Daniel Bernstrom while he was working as a janitor at a preschool. Whatever the inspiration, it is certainly a marvelous debut, full of (as many othe ...more

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May 17, 2019 Heather McC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

A clever young boy tricks a greedy snake.

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Mar 14, 2016 Zoraida rated it it was amazing

Shelves: yabc-review

Reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree is a whimsical story of a very clever boy who gets eaten by a snake.

The boy is out and about when a snake gobbles him up. The boy does not panic. Instead, he devises a plan to get himself free. That involves having the snake eat many other creatures. One by one, the snake eats creatures in the jungle near the eucalyptus tree. The boy keeps egging the snake to keep eating. Meanwhile, ...more

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Mar 13, 2017 Margaux rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books, we-need-diverse-books, verse, international

Awesome for storytime: add a photo of a real Eucalyptus tree to show the kids what they are looking at!

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May 26, 2016 Tiffany rated it really liked it

Sloths are found in South America and there are no apes there so, the fact that this book shows an assortment of animals that would never be found together in the wild bothered me. I realize most people don't care or notice this in this book or others like it (for example, there are MANY picture books that depict lions in the jungle which is not their normal habitat). I, however, would prefer something that doesn't encourage kids to have misinformation about animals--even from a fictional pictur ...more

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Mar 22, 2016 Christopher rated it it was amazing

This would make for a wonderful read aloud for a kindergarten/1st grade class. Brendan Wenzel's illustrations are a treasure and further proof that he is a talent to watch. ...more

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Jul 18, 2016 Casandria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: s-story-time, preschool, picture, beehive

A lot like There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, but way more fun!
Snake
Silly

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Mar 20, 2017 Katy added it

Shelves: monarch-award

Basically, a new version of Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Would work as a flannel board or with finger puppets.

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May 21, 2018 Rell rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: brichell-library

After reading this book me and my 8 year old daughter actually agreed that we did not like it. I originally purchased the book for the cover and then after reading it decided that was a big mistake. In short this story is about a child that is swallowed by a snake, and as the story progress the snake swallows everything else that it can (because the boy is telling him that he can take eating one more thing). Eventually the snake swallows so many things that he PUKE up everything that he swallows ...more

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Jun 09, 2017 RLL22017-Tammi rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-science-fiction

Lurking inside a eucalyptus tree is a sneaky hungry snake that will eat anything in sight. He coils up a little boy with a toy and eats him. The boy tempts persuades the snake that there is room for more and more and more until he can't fit any more. Yet he tries again for one last taste and that's when he meets his end, regurgitation! This was a read along with my nephew and he was loved that I would make the sounds of grab and eat while we read. We would recommend for ages 8-11 to read. ...more

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Aug 28, 2020 Deb rated it liked it

Shelves: for-alena

I like Brendan Wenzel's illustration style. That's why I checked this book out for Alena. The story is pretty good too. The little boy is a smart fellow. The snake, not so much. I relate to the problem of overeating. This book could be used to help children learn that eating too much can just make you feel sick. ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: rhythm-rhyme, repetitive-text, bioscience-nature-sustainability, read-aloud-favorite, picture-book

This is an enthusiastic picture book similar in rhythm and mood to There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The illustrations by Brendan Wenzel, who also did They All Saw a Cat, are pitch perfect while Daniel Bernstrom's lively text will make this a delightful read aloud.
...more

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Sep 25, 2019 Diana U rated it it was amazing

This book got my attention because it reminded me of the book series An Old Lady who Swallowed a Cow. It has colorful and funny illustrations. The snake in the story goes on to gobble up the characters in the story to the point that he bursts in the end. The book has repetition, rhythm, and sounds through out the story.

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Mar 24, 2017 Kristen Williams rated it did not like it

Why is this child being attacked? Why is this story about a child being eaten this is 2017 and stories about children of color being eaten by jungle animals are not necessary. I get the whole red riding hood aspect but I'm just not here for it. I like the illustrator but just not the concept. ...more

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May 10, 2016 Heidi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, picture-books, 2016-newbery-caldecott-contenders, 2016-books, picture-book-favorites, great-teaching-books, favorites, caldecott-possibilities

After reading Betsy Bird's recent review of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it and share it with my students. So I did. And I was not disappointed in the slightest. The book is a delight both textually and visually. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this text out loud, it has a great rhythm and rhyme to it with word phrases such as crinkle, wrinkle and wiggle-waggle adding vim and vigor to the reading. And of course, the word, eucalyptus as Betsy points out has a rhythm all its own, it was ...more

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May 27, 2016 mg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: rhyme, children, 2016, picture-book, animals

Oh. My. SQUEEEEE!!! This book is so fun! A cumulative story with a clever boy at the center of it all. While adults can clearly see where how the story will end, it's still enjoyable throughout. I really love the rhyme/meter, which isn't your typical ABAB rhyme scheme - it's more about the rhythm of the words. After 2 pages, I immediately started picturing all the ways one could use this in a storytime. Felt boards, acting it out, a snake sock with animals going inside...my mind is whirring away ...more

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Jul 31, 2016 Katie Fitzgerald rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016, format-picture-books, audience-children

The rhythm in this doesn't work perfectly, but it would be manageable in story time with some rehearsal to work out the awkward parts. The illustrations didn't appeal to me all that much, but based on the format, where creatures are eaten in succession, it would pair nicely with either I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly or Bark, George. ...more

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Sep 22, 2016 Nancy Kotkin rated it really liked it

Shelves: mock-caldecott-2017, african-american, diversity, picture-books, pub-harper-other, 2016-pb-400, stars-4, 2016-reads

Text rhymes at times, though not consistently and not in any recognizable pattern. The meter mostly works but would take some practice to read aloud fluently.

Caldecott-worthy illustrations, though it bothered me that the bulge in the snake wasn't consistently located. In some pictures the lump is near the middle or end of the snake, while in others it is right at the front near his head. I really like the end illustration, which foretells the boy's immediate future without any words.
...more

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May 20, 2016 Edward Sullivan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-books

A cumulative tale with a great finish, superb for reading aloud. Wonderful vibrant, whimsical illustrations.

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Jul 08, 2016 Jason added it

Shelves: picture-books

I think the snake should have exploded at the end. It would make more sense. When I sneeze, my lunch doesn't come up. Sheesh. ...more

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Aug 03, 2016 Britt rated it liked it

Shelves: picture-book, poetry-and-verse

Too repetitive repetitive for me.

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Sep 10, 2016 Michele Knott rated it really liked it

Shelves: picture-books, read-in-2016, 2018-monarch-award-nominee

Loved the illustrations. I love how Brendan Wenzel's illustrations have become so recognizable.
Great addition to the library. ...more

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Jan 15, 2017 Jessie rated it liked it

This has fun rhythm and repetition.

It reminds me (in different ways) of Kipling's story of how the whale got its throat and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. ...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Emily rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s, animals, picture-book, animals-eating-animals, cumulative

Rhyme and rhythm marry perfectly in this cumulative food chain story. A fantastic update to tired There Was An Old Woman books. Wentzel's art is textured and full of life and fun. ...more

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Mar 16, 2018 Nicole Somlai rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens-lit-2018

Multicultural book entry 2:

One day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, by Daniel Bernstrom is a fantasy fiction novel, perfect for primary age children. Fantasy fiction is a story that including elements that are impossible such as talking animals or magical powers. In this book, the animals all spoke to the little boy, which is make believe.

Text-To-Self- In this novel, the little boy is carrying a "whirly-twirly toy" around with him in the jungle. When I was a child I would carry a stuffed ani ...more

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Oct 27, 2016 Stephanie Croaning rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016, picture-books, read-aloud-picture-books

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree
Story by Daniel Bernstrom; pictures by Brandan Wenzel
Katherine Tegen Books, 2016
ISBN 978-0-06-235485-3
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 27 cm
Picture book, fiction
Interest level: PreK-grade 1; reading level: 1.4
4 out of 5 stars

This story reads like a combination of a cumulative tale--"There Was an Old Lady"--and a folktale. A boy with a "whirly-twirly toy" is skipping along in the shade of a eucalyptus tree when he is gobbled up by a giant ...more

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