Beware of the Crocodile

Nature Storybooks

by Martin Jenkins, Satoshi Kitamura (Illustrator)

Explore an informative, playfully illustrated story about one of the world's most dangerous animals: the crocodile.

You probably know a little about crocodiles already. They're reptiles, they have an awful lot of teeth, and they're pretty scary -- at least, the big ones are! They're not very fussy about what they eat, and when it comes to hunting down dinner, crocodiles are very determined . . . and very cunning. But there's more to crocodiles than just their appetites. They love to nap on warm sandbanks and cool off in calm waters, and crocodile mothers are very gentle with their babies. This fascinating look at one of Earth's most infamous creatures is full of information for amateur scientists, with back matter that includes an index, notes on species, and suggestions for further reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Science, Nature, 1st Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2019

About the author

Martin Jenkins, a conservation biologist, has written several nonfiction books for children, including Ape, Grandma Elephant’s in Charge, The Emperor’s Egg, and Chameleons Are Cool. He lives in Cambridge, England.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf. The Reviewers seemed to run correctly last week, but didn't run this week at all, and the Readers list hasn't been fixed at all. I guess algorithm don't care. Looking at the beta pages, algorithm loves stars.

Probably I would have liked this a lot more if I hadn't been expecting a gag. The cover just looks like a book that would have a warning about the crocodile, often repeated, followed by a twist where the crocodile is utterly safe for some reason (say, stuffed, or it is a line of girls at Medline's school) or turns out to be dangerous in some other way, say as a lab partner known to ignite things. The information in it is interesting, and the care of the babies is particularly cool. And ultimately I like that it didn't turn out to be grisly since they are amazing predators.

Library copy

[Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously - I thought, "Oh, another book about animals" BUT NO!!! REALLY interesting CONTRAST for young readers--the narrator begins with a discussion of how scary crocodiles are, describing how they wait for and attack their prey AND THEN the narrator describes how crocodiles (females) are very good parents. "But there's more to crocodiles than SPLASH, snap, twirl, swallow. You might be surprised to hear that..." (p. 16). These are the two main topics in this book - the crocodile as a predator and the crocodile as caring mother (tender and attentive) for its babies. The irony is that many of the babies are eaten by other predators (including the father crocodile).

AND THERE'S MORE -- LOVED the NARRATOR’S VOICE - a dry sense of humor (not sure if that's the right characterization...but definitely conversational and fun.) For example:
"Then there'll be a sudden lunge and a tremendous SPLASH. And then? Oh, dear. What happens next is rather gruesome. In fact it's so gruesome that we should skip the details. Let's just say there's a lot of twirling and thrashing, and then things go a bit quiet” (p. 12-13).
Oh, the teaching we could do during writers’ workshop with this as a mentor text! Kids bored with writing summaries of their learning? Or research? Add this aspect of an author's craft to the mix and see what happens!

AND MORE – the ILLUSTRATIONS by Kitamura are fabulous. Mixed media. Realistic with just enough detail for young readers to say, “Oh, my!” BUT don't forget to check out the illustrations on the “about crocodile pages) towards the end. Another contrast – a bit of anthropomorphized – dressed in a suit at a dinner table (be sure to read the details on the menu). There’s also a helpful illustration that gives kids a feel for how long the crocodile can be (in meters).

INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD? I’d start by reading this aloud (kinder-third grade?) just for the JOY of learning and hearing Jenkins’ voice. Have fun, you know? Then I might read aloud again and engage students in thinking about some of the following questions:
• Set a purpose for listening related to the author’s voice – “What do you notice about how the narrator is talking to you, the reader?” Stop about midway through the book for a longer discussion. “What do you notice?” and “What makes you think so?” or “How does the author talk to you? Or how do you know the author seems to be having a conversation with you?”
• Set a purpose for listening related to the contrast in topics – “How does the author portray the crocodile in the first part of the book? And in the second?” and “Where do you notice the shift?” and “Do you think the author set you up in the first part? Were you surprised to find out what the crocodile is like as a parent?”
• “What do you notice in the illustrations?” and “How does this add to the what the narrator is telling you?” (Remind young children that the crocodile is not smiling the way humans do; the up-turned edge of a crocodile’s mouth is a physical feature--not a smile generated by a feeling.)

Woohoo! So much potential.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: If there's one thing you should know about crocodiles, it's that they've really scary--or at least the big ones are. They've got an awful lot of teeth.

Premise/plot: This is a nonfiction book about crocodiles. It opens with a crocodile getting ready--waiting--to eat...

Sooner or later, something passing by, something with a bit of meat on it, will decide that it's thirsty and needs a drink. And then? Then they'll be a sudden lunge and a tremendous splash. And then? Oh, dear. What happens next is rather gruesome. In fact it's so gruesome that we should skip the details. Let's just say there's a lot of twirling and thrashing, and then things go a bit quiet.

It also includes details on the life cycle of the crocodile.

My thoughts: I am not a crocodile enthusiast--or a reptile one either for that matter. This one has a narrative style that is far from dry. But even so I can't say that this is an incredible, must-read for story time for little ones. I think for those that are super-curious about wild animals this one would definitely hold some appeal.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Factual book about crocodiles that is written in a narrative style.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crocodiles are terrifying and also good parents.

[Wendy Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know a large female crocodile can lay up to 90 eggs? That's just one of many fascinating things you'll learn about crocodiles in this engaging book. Watercolor illustrations are lovely and support text. Cool info in the backmatter as well.

[Ashlee Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a non-fiction book, this book won the Mother Goose Award. This book is intended for the age group of 5-8 years of age. This book is all about crocodiles, it shows the crocodiles eating habits and everyday habits as well. It tells us many facts about crocodiles, including mother crocodile and how she takes care of her young and how she creates eggs and takes care of them up until they hatch. Crocodile's fathers sometimes will eat them when they are young and just born, other animals will eat them as well. I rated this book 4 stars because the book had mnay interesting facts and shows everyone alot about crocodiles. However, the illustrations do not tell much about the story they are good illustrations but they could tell more about what each page is about. It is a fun story for children 5-8 to learn about crocodiles and how they are born and more about there lives as they grow bigger and survive. This book would be appealing to younger readers due to being an interesting story and for them to learn new things about crocodiles. This would be a good book to use when working with children to focus on crocodiles and learning all about them.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reviewer picked up a copy of this book thinking it was a picture book. An image of a crocodile opening its jaw is on the cover and the title font suggests a story where other characters should be aware of the crocodile. Reading it, it fits better in the nonfiction category. It discusses the eating habits of a crocodile but also the wonderful job a mother crocodile does taking care of her babies. Fortunately it skips the details that are gruesome after the “twirling and thrashing” but does mention that father crocodiles are also a thread for the baby crocodiles. Colorful watercolor illustrations accompany the facts showing off the crocodile teeth often.
The last spread tells the reader more about crocodiles, has websites to retrieve more information and an index.
This good be a great introduction into nonfiction and a read aloud in any setting.
Written
Kindergarten through 3rd grade
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[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book meant for preschoolers. It is a nonfiction book that talks about one of the world's most dangerous creatures which are the crocodiles. This book does a good job of simplifying what a crocodile is and why they are so dangerous. This book is full of great illustrations that would do a wonderful job of capturing children's attention. This is a book I would read to my preschoolers because it is educational in the simplest ways. The author does a good job describing the main parts of the crocodile, from their teeth to what they eat. The tone in this book is meant for a very younger crowd, talking as if the crocodile is a friend. This book would work well for its intended audience because of the tone it has. This is what makes this book really meant for preschoolers. In most preschool books the idea of narration is to make the character sound like a friend or that there is a real story to the whole book; rather than just stating facts about a crocodile.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nonfiction book about crocodiles its meant for children five years and up. The author shares all the true details about crocodiles and how they live their life. This book talks about crocodiles' prey and how they hunt, as well as their living habitats. This book shares a great true depiction of crocodiles and their life. I think this book has great illustrations for children to keep them interested as well as help them learn. I enjoy that this book is truthful about how crocodiles are true predators even though it is meant for children. This book would be a great introduction for children to learn about the predator and prey relationship in the wild. The author and illustrator create an image of the true life of an amazing animal. I would use this to talk about the cycle of life in the classroom.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is "playfully" illustrated and the narrative itself is playful, but don't read this with your sensitive preschooler, much less your toddler. The text with a picture of a crocodile rearing up to grab what I think is a warthog. The bold print is bold in the actual type:

"What happens next is rather gruesome. In fact, it's so gruesome that we should skip the details. Let's just say there's a lot of twirling and thrashing, and then things go a a bit quiet."

And later, showing a large crocodile threatening a batch of babies and describing how baby crocodiles are preyed upon "--sometimes even the baby crocodiles' own fathers!"


So hand this to the sort of elementary age kids who delight in a little bit of gore. Not to those tiny tots!

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beware of the Crocodile" by Martin Jenkins. An amazing nonfiction depiction of the complex and surprising details about the life cycle of crocodiles, as well as a reminder that the critters we might see treated as prey to human are also natives of the Earth we all inhabit and are deserving of our respect, informed protection, and have a place in the balance of nature.
This dramatically illustrated exploration, using clear but simple text, appealed to me much more than some photographic portrayals of the same content, presented in more complex text. It must be the child in me that sees this as a gateway book to further exploration of those more complex offerings, and I have no doubt the same will be true of many kids of many ages.

[Michael Carey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins is a Children’s Animal Tradebook which was discovered under the recommendation of a graduate level teacher. Falling within the InfoBio framework, the story chronicles how the gargantuan reptile preys on smaller species for food while also focusing on the process of laying eggs. Indeed, the story has good illustrations and provides valuable information about the species, however, that is about it. I am struggling to understand what the point of the story was, as it seems like the entire angle of it was to be fearful of this species even though they mostly stick to themselves. I did not find this story enjoyable, nor very informative and as a result, I would not recommend it for any age group because it would be a waste of time.

[Michelle COle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nonfiction. This book has not won any awards. This book is for kids five to eight years old. The book provides informative and playfully illustrated story about one of the world’s most dangerous animals. The book explores the life of crocodiles, their behavior, and their habitat. It also highlights the fact that crocodiles are not just scary predators but also have a softer side. For example, crocodile mothers are very gentle with their babies. The illustrations in the book are playful and colorful, making it an engaging read for children. The book is a great way to introduce children to the world of crocodiles and to teach them about the importance of conservation. I believe kids would love this book.
12/12/2023

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing nonfiction depiction of the complex and surprising details about the life cycle of crocodiles, as well as a reminder that the critters we might see treated as prey to human are also natives of the Earth we all inhabit, and are deserving of our respect, informed protection, and have a place in the balance of nature.
This dramatically illustrated exploration, using clear but simple text, appealed to me much more than some photographic portrayals of the same content, presented in more complex text. It must be the child in me that sees this as a gateway book to further exploration of those more complex offerings, and I have no doubt the same will be true of many kids of many ages.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A non fiction book, displayed as a picture book, all about crocodiles. The book covers many topics including what they eat and where they lay their eggs. A fun read aloud story to educate children about crocodiles. Could be used alongside a science lesson on animals and their habitats or when learning about crocodiles. There is quite a lot about crocodiles catching and eating animals on the shore or baby crocodiles getting eaten, while most children would be fine with this, some more sensitive ones may get upset or stressed. You would therefore have to consider the individuals in the class first before using the book. An informative story for KS1 and LKS2 children.

[Avery Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This book goes over things about crocodiles and how crocodile live. In goes through what they eat and what they look like as well. It talks about their eating as well as how they live and have baby crocodiles.
Reaction: I think this a cute and fun book with cute illustrations. I think its very informative but also sweet and not too gruesome. I really enjoyed this book and think many kids can learn a lot.
Use it in the classroom: I can use this in the classroom to help kids learn more about animals and how many animals are in the wild. I can give this to a kid who is passionate about crocodiles and wants to learn more.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative and entertaining.

(dramtic annoucer voice) "Then there'll be a sudden LUNGE and a remendous SPLASH. An then? Oh, dear. What happens next is rather gruesome. In fact it's so gruesome that we should skip the details. Let's just say there's a lot of TWILRING and THRASHING, and then things go a bit quiet."

Then there is the page with the look of the little croc who might get eaten. Priceless.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been about 10 feet from an American Crocodile at Hilton Head South Carolina, I/We should have been scared, but we had just been to Gator land, and we learned a lot about their behavior and we were smart, and not scared. (We kept our distance and admired..we didn't charge or make loud noises like a dooffuses )
This is a great book. I read this through an Inter Library Loan and I think our Library should buy this!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crocodiles ARE scary and they are fearsome and effective predators. They are also good parents. Jenkins presents information about this interesting species in a conversational tone that works well, not dwelling on the gruesome but not avoiding the facts either.

Illustrations by Satoshi Kitamura add to the appeal of the book. Back matter includes additional facts about the species and websites, one from a conservation group.

[Eve Schortgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book builds on top of the little facts we know about crocodiles already. They're big, they have a lot of teeth, and they like to be in the water. Although they are dangerous animals, Martin Jenkins tells this story in a spirited way that makes the reader want to laugh. The facts are told in a way that is both engaging and age appropriate.
I love everything about this book. It is funny, factual, and great for young children. This could be an amazing tool to teach science.

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll be hooked from the first spread that features a huge croc with an awful lot of teeth. In addition to swimming through the life cycle of crocs, the book also deals with croc hunting and feeding, but "it's so gruesome that we should skip the details" and it does. Some pages have side notes with added information and back matter includes more about crocodiles and their closest relatives, links for more information, and an index with a hint of how to use it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crocodiles have an awful lot of teeth and they are not at all picky about what they eat as long as it has a bit of meat on it. Learn these facts and more in the book Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins. This book has creepy enough facts to keep older kids reading and soft enough illustrations for the youngest zoologists. For ages 4 - 10.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Mock Caldecott Awards voting. Although I liked this book, it was not a whimsical tale about the crocodile but rather an informative story about how the crocodile waits for prey and raises their young. I liked the illustrations and there is nothing detailed about their meal stalking but I think some children could be frightened by it.

[stillme · Rating 2 out of 5]

A early nonfiction picture book. But I was bothered by "what happens next is so gruesome that we should skip the details" then maybe this nonfiction picture book isn't for you. We read nonfiction FOR the details.
My son (7) prefers The Truth about Crocodiles by Maxwell Eaton III for greater information and humor.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun information picture book that reads almost like a story. Teh indirect way it describes the death of animals at the hands of the crocodile was very clever. ("let's just say there's a lot of twirling and thrashing, and then things go a bit quiet." "oh dear") The information is interesting, the illustrations are good.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I definitely learned a lot about crocodiles. I think I'm even more terrified of them than I was before. The text has a lot of voice and personality, and is in picture book format so it's approachable for younger readers. A bit macabre subject matter just by nature of how crocodiles are (the dads try and EAT THE BABIES???? WHAT??).

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If there's one thing you should know about crocodiles, it's that they're really scary - or at least the big ones are. They've got an awful lot of ... teeth." This is an engaging book that presents some interesting facts about the long (or very short) lifespan of a crocodile. There is some subtle humor and lots of little author notes throughout as well.

[Chloe Callow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great nonfiction children’s book. Although a bit graphic at times, the book highlights all of the key facts about crocodiles including their prey, predators, intelligence, offspring, and habitat. This book also contains great illustrations. I like this book because it teaches kids a lot of information but in a spread out way so that the information is not too overwhelming.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t be fooled by the lively illustrations in this great new book. It’s surprisingly informative and still a lot of fun. It’s not some outlandish tale about an anthropomorphic crocodile-like creature. The actions taken are real actions a crocodile might take.