Solomon Crocodile

Solomon

by Catherine Rayner

In his swampy home, Solomon is looking for fun but nobody wants to play. The dragonflies tell him to buzz off, the storks get in a flap, and the hippo is downright huffy. But then somebody else starts making a ruckus . . . and for once it is NOT Solomon. Could it be the perfect pal for a lonely croc? Matching vibrant art with rollicking words, Scottish artist Catherine Rayner has created a funny, reassuring story about a rambunctious youngster who chases off the friends he's trying to make.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2011

About the author

See also Catherine Rayner for works on the Bronte sisters

Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.

She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.

Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.

Reviews

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

"In his swampy home, Solomon is looking for fun but nobody wants to play. The dragonflies tell him to buzz off, the storks get in a flap, and the hippo is downright huffy. But then somebody else starts making a ruckus . . . and for once it is NOT Solomon. Could it be the perfect pal for a lonely croc?"

This is one of those rare message-less books that are just beautiful fun! Part of this is the gorgeous art ... it makes Solomon the Crocodile look a little crazy but also like he was the troublemaker of the tranquil swamp. I think the story has a place in that boys and girls who cause ruckus' at school need to know that they have at least one person. Unfortunately that other child probably incites YOUR child... but at least they don't feel on the outs.

I personally wouldn't have this story in my home library because it is about sowing dissension among his swamp family and I don't subscribe to that... But it makes for a fun read one or two times! We enjoyed the dialogue like words and my nephew loves the idea of reading about breaking the rules...

BOTTOM LINE: Solomon the Troublemaker x 2!!

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You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout the story I kept waiting for Solomon to be redeemed in the eyes of his neighboring animals, but that's more sophisticated than this book gets. This is the story of the pesky little brother who just wants to play. And by "play" I mean annoy everyone else around him. Not quite what I've come to expect from Catherine Rayner, but still a pretty good book. The pictures are lively and energetic with splatters from Solomon's mischief.

[Shelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The moral of the story is..... Annoying your fellow creatures is wrong and will not lead to party invitations or even a welcoming smile. BUT if you annoy people with someone else, like say in a small gang, then at least you can laugh while tormenting others with your fellow friend, a.k.a. accomplice.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solomon is a mischievous croc who just wants to play alongside the other animals, however these other animals don’t want to play with Solomon. But eventually, Solomon finds someone else who is also causing chaos, another croc.

This book is beautifully illustrated using paint splatters. The only real message in this book is that friends are good to have, especially so you can do things together.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Abigail so now I'm grabbing everything else by Rayner that I can find. This, too, is brilliant. I've always thought of crocodiles as ferociously aggressive predators, and they pretty much are, really. But from cover to cover, Solomon appeals to me, and I even feel that I would play with him. I absolutely love the artwork, too; it's much richer and more interesting than it may look at first. And of course the safari animals are so much cooler than the typical cats & cows found in kids' books. I do like the ending, despite the fact that it might seem just a tiny bit predictable, but I also like that we don't know, and it doesn't matter, whether his new companion is a platonic friend or a potential mate, male or female.

Reread. Having just discussed with a friend Otis Spofford, I see a distinct resemblance and am feeling even more defensive of Otis. Some kids crave excitement, the same way some of us adult avid readers crave peace & quiet. Good for them for having so much energy; they'll learn to channel it soon enough if we don't punish them, but rather give them outlets and guidance.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

She is one of my new favorite illustrators and the story would be great to use for vocabulary or to demonstrate synonyms. We all know kids with a lot of energy who just needs something to do and someone to do it with. I'm glad Solomon found a friend in the end - I just wish that it wasn't a fellow stinker. Maybe he would never care - but there is a reason that no one wanted to play with "poor" Solomon. :)

[Megan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably a two star story, but the illustrations are really beautiful and I loved how many expressions she was able to give a crocodile. However, the story is just not up to par. Basically, an annoying crocodile has chased off everyone in the jungle with his behavior. No one wants to hang out with him. So he finds another annoying crocodile and they run off to annoy the jungle creatures together. Not sure what kind of message this is trying to send exactly.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic tongue-in-cheek humor with a satisfying ending! Solomon is causing all kinds of trouble to the annoyance of the other animals. He finally slinks away, only to discover a kindred spirit raising trouble in his stead. Now they can can cause a ruckus together!

Edit 10/21/2023: Read this to both girls. Didn’t remember we’d already read it (lol), but apparently enjoyed it just as much this time around. 😊

[Sophie Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book with beautiful illustrations, all about a crocodile travelling around and accidentally irritates lots of animals. The repetition of Solomon being a pain and the animals constantly reject him when he wants to play. He’s on his own until another crocodile irritates the animals too and now he has someone to play with.

A great story all about finding the right friends.

[Kasım Arda Yetkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu hayvanlar da sürekli oyun oynama derdinde. Başka işler yok.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Solomon the crocodile is annoying other animals and they all tell him to go away. He's a little sad that he has no one to play with, but then he finds another crocodile that is annoying the other animals and they annoy animals together.
This is a "shrug" and "it's ok" book. The point seems to be that if you are going to be a bully, then bully with someone else.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone wants a friend. But man, Solomon isn't really liked by the other animals. Put two crocodiles together....and you have a whole other story!

I just did not like how this book ended. It didn't feel heartwarming. It felt kind of terrible actually.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a simple story featuring African animals and a bit of a surprise at the ending make this one great storytime fodder. One to try!

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solomon Crocodile is a fun story about Solomon who wants to make friends but ends up annoying them and pushing them away until he meets someone that is perfect and like him too.

I have seen many children like Solomon that end up pushing friends away in attempts to make them so it is nice to have a book on this subject. It gives a chance to talk about how we all like different things and some things that we like can annoy others and push them away from us. The way we get to see this with Solomon is great as it's easy to see the animals getting frustrated but we can also see that Solomon is just trying to have fun.

The illustrations are a watercolour style with a textured look which is very eye catching and gives the book a unique look. The children enjoyed seeing all the animals that Solomon met on his journey to make a friend and they also liked how Solomon himself was a crocodile, we've not read many crocodiles books before.

This is a fantastic story that shows how we're all different but there's a friend out there for everyone and you shouldn't change yourself to find them. We really enjoyed this book.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows Solomon the crocodile who is lonely and wants to play with some of the other animals, each of which turn him a way and call him names such as 'a pain' or 'a nuisance'. At the end of the story, Solomon meets another crocodile just like him - double trouble!
I think this book was fun, however i was waiting for the part when the other animals forgave him and let Solomon play with them. The story didn't really go anywhere and i found it very repetitive.
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me personally, however i do see why children would enjoy this book, particularly in the early years and ks1.
My favourite part of this book was the beautiful illustrations and Rayner's use of paint splattering. I think that this could lead to a lesson opportunity (art) where children paint other animals in the style that Rayner has used in this book.

[Mr Bramley · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ Catherine Rayner is the study of an author project I am doing so excuse the sudden influx of her books ~

This particular book really brought out the inner mischievous child in me! I loved its playfulness and naughtiness.

Focusing on the titular character, this book doesn't really have a 'good behaviour' or moral to teach children, but rather a reminder that friends are important, bring us joy, and can help us to do things better or achieve what we might not be able to alone.

I like this book from my personal perspective and think children would find it exciting and entertaining. However I am hesitant as to how it would go down in a classroom setting...

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solomon is full of mischief. He annoys everyone around him, and they let him know it too, calling him a pest, a nuisance, a pain, etc. The story feels mean hearted, but at the same time, it's clear that Solomon has a reputation and this probably isn't the first time these animals have been annoyed by him. They are familiar enough with him to call him by name, so it feels more like he's a pesky little brother. At first I wondered if he would be put down enough that his spirit would be crushed, but alas, instead, he finds a way to make more trouble, which makes the ending satisfying, even though it would be nicer if he learned not to be annoying. Worth a little giggle at the end, though.

[Amy Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and think it would be really useful to use to teach vocabulary and synonyms. The younger years could just enjoy this as a humourous read, however the way I read it was that the crocodile was different to the other animals and just wanted to play but didn't know how to go about this, linked to SEND perhaps. I think this could be used in the older years to discuss the deeper meaning, and teach them that they need to be kind to everyone as some children may not understand what is wrong with the way they are behaving.

[Pi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heh no taki śmiech przez łzy. Oczywiście rozumiem zamysł autorki. Chciała pokazać, że zawsze można znaleźć kogoś, kto będzie się chciał z nami pobawić... że zawsze znajdzie się ktoś taki, jak my... ale ta historia o krokodylu chyba jednak mnie nie przekonała. Nie uważam, by była zła, lecz jakoś bardziej niż kiedykolwiek rzuca silny kontrast z rzeczywistością. Cóż... z krokodylem raczej było by niebezpiecznie się bawić. Jasna sprawa! Jestem zbyt dosłowna, bo to metafora, lecz coś mi tu nie gra... nawet dokładnie nie umiem powiedzieć co... lecz to miła książeczka, ładnie zilustrowana.

[Issy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the repetition of the book as the children can join in on the story rather than the teacher just telling it to them. It is quite an easy read but, I like the flow of it and it explores where the story is set with all the animals and insects. It is quite cheeky and maybe the children could relate to Solomon because they want to join in and play games. It also has the message that Solomon just wants to play but, no one wants to play with him so he can feel quite lonely until he finds a friend who is another crocodile.

[Kalynne]

Book one (3-4 minutes): Snip Snap! What was that? By Mara Bergman

Song/rhyme/game one (3-4 minutes): Five Little Monkeys Swinging from a Tree

Book two (3-4 minutes): Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner

Song/rhyme/game two (3-4 minutes): We must Face the facts by Jim Gills

Book three (3-4 minutes): The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi

Song/ rhyme/ game three (3-4 minutes): There was a Crocodile by The Learning Station

Special Signs: alligator (crocodile), bite

Activity: https://media.craftulate.com/wp-conte...

[Lucy Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the storyline not being particularly original, I like this storybook due to the amazing artwork used to illustrate the story. The colourful pictures are painted with watercolours, which fits well with the theme of play and the habitat of the crocodile. I would use this storybook with younger children, because it involves a lot of repetition. Younger children can learn the story through the use of actions and repetition, and provide a performance to family and friends.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solomon is a very annoying crocodile who likes to disturb the other animals in the book. The moral implications are a little confusing (is annoying people okay?) however, I can imagine that children would find it very funny. Aside from the plot, the illustrations are simply beautiful. Solomon himself is a very engaging character and there are a lot of cliff hangers in the book. It would be very easy to draw on this suspense. I would aim this at KS1 from years R-2.

[Imogen McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a heartwarming book once finished, and i believe it teaches you that you might not get along with everyone but you will always have someone.
The use of repetition throughout the book is also good as it encourages reading as a whole class and also getting the children involved so they do not feel like they are being read at.
The illustrations are also lovely and quite unique with the use of media making it more interesting to look at.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cheeky little story about a playful croc, with gorgeous painty and sketchy illustrations.

If the author was wanting to help kids learn to play well together, I think she could have shown Solomon learning to be a little more considerate and thoughtful and the other animals learning to be kinder, more inclusive and less impatient. But I think it's just supposed to be a fun, playful story to give kids a little giggle. And for that it's great.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. It's a very short read, only a few minutes, and it goes very well with Bumping Buffalo. I'd recommend reading Bumping Buffalo first, then following it up with Solomon Crocodile. It leads to fun discussion about making trouble, finding trouble, being trouble, and different reactions to getting into trouble.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beautifully illustrated and has a beautiful cover but the story had no redeeming morals and in fact seems to teach negative lessons. The crocodile doesn’t treat others well and doesn’t learn from his mistakes in the end (instead he finds a partner in crime and makes a new bad friend). The other animals are mean to the crocodile and insult him, and they are never taught that those words are unkind and hurtful.

[Maliha Arman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very rich in vocabulary and literacy. This book has awesome large images that help them link the images with the story line. It would be helpful to have a felt board with this book and children can place what came first and what came second. This book has a lot of rhyming words as well as way to enhance your child's vocabulary.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like many things about this book, but the one thing I didn't like was that there is a bit of name-calling in it. When I read it to preschoolers I said "You are being a nuisance" each time, rather than, "you are nothing but a ___________". This also had the advantage of making a repeated refrain that kids could participate in, and it didn't seem as harsh.

[Amy Buthelezi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This simple book contains a humorous story line as it follows a crocodile on his quest to find someone to play with him. It introduces vocabulary words, repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. I love the paintings in this book which would set the stage for a painting activity for children.