Counting Crocodiles

by Judy Sierra, Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Poor Monkey. All she has to eat are sour lemons. One day she spies a banana tree on a faraway island, but the only way to get there is to navigate the crocodile-infested waters of the Sillabobble Sea. That’s no problem when you’re a brave and clever monkey who can count to ten and back!

Genres: Picture Books, Counting, Mathematics, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Fiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[LaDonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuteness wins the raise with me on this one. Between the rhythmic words of author Judy Sierra and fun illustrations of Will Hillenbrand, Counting Crocodiles serves as a great way to help reinforce forward and backward counting from 1-10. I love to share books with kids that can help with a core subject, without them being fully aware that they are learning.

[Melissa Koser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is proof that great art sells. Sure, the wording has good rhythm and rhyme, and is full of descriptive words rather than the dumbed-down text so many children's books use. But the art! So fun to look at, and even after multiple reads with my toddler I'm still finding new little easter eggs. Books like this are a pleasure to read over and over, and I wholeheartedly recommend this one to all parents of young children.

[Kylie Mcgrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a monkey who is stuck on an island, who only eats food out of the sour lemon tree. The monkey looks for more food an spots another island where there is a banana tree across. In order for the monkey to get to the bananas, the monkey must swim across the river that has so many crocodiles. The only issue is, they are scary crocodiles that will eat you right away. The book goes through and counts how many crocodiles there are from one to ten. Clearly this book is for younger kids learning how to count. The book teaches both kids to count from 1-10 and then backwards as well from 10-1. This is a quick easy book for kids based on how repetitive it is, and the swimming across the sea aspect keeps kids on their toes. The illustrations are actually cute compared to the actual story. However, they make the alligators look big and scary. The color green in this book is an odd green, but I feel like the color difference is important. The odd colored alligators are wide, with teeth trying to be hidden but they’re not. Overall, cute read and helpful for kids prek-1st. This is my counting book.

[Tara Schloetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful and humorous children’s picture book that would engage children and adults alike. I was so drawn to the text and counting the crocodiles that I did not even notice some of the illustrations where the fox and the monkey were stealing bananas until the very end—I had to go back and look through the pages again to realize that I completely missed some of the details. Not only is this a counting book with an interesting twist, it also includes some advanced vocabulary that typically would not be found in other counting books. Counting Crocodiles follows the adventures of a monkey who lives on a tiny island that only has lemons to eat. The monkey sees another island in the distance with a banana tree, and distracts the crocodiles in the Sillabobble Sea by counting all of them. The monkey uses the crocodiles as a bridge to get to the banana island and back to his own island while remaining uneaten by the crocodiles. This is an entertaining and cute book that I would highly recommend for young readers.

[Jason Choi]

Counting crocodiles was another book that I read growing up. The book written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand is about a monkey that is stuck on an island, where the only source of food is a sour lemon tree. One day, this monkey looks through her spyglass in order to look around for food, when she spots an island with a banana tree growing from it. However, in order for anyone to get to the other island, they would have to swim past the Sillabobble sea, which was infested with vicious crocodile, ready to eat anyone that got nearby. The book explores its theme of numbers and counting through the story where the monkey counts the crocodiles starting from one all the way to ten, similarly to the other books, teaching kids that read it how to count in order from one to ten and even backwards from ten to one. A secondary reading that I related this book to was again the nursery rhymes as throughout the book, the author uses rhymes and rhyming schemes in order to create a beat and to keep the readers interested.

[Kylee Wiyrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this silly book that involved a brave little monkey who was determined to get a banana. What would you do for a banana? Would you face an encounter with a bunch of crazy crocodiles? Well that is just what the monkey did! By counting by one’s up to the number ten, and performing crazy counting tricks, the little monkey comes up with a plan to trick the crocodiles into giving her a free ride across the dangerous waters. Readers of this book follow the monkey on her adventure while following along with the words on each page that rhyme. Not only that, but I love the repetitive aspect of this book because it makes for an easy way to get children engaged in literature. When children are able to predict what comes next in a book, they tend to get excited and prepare to predict the next page!

[Phoenix Hamblin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The picture book 'Counting Crocodiles' by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand is a great story about a monkey's adventure across the sea to a banana tree. The monkey's belly is upset from the lemon tree he picks from and he decides to risk his life and travel across the home of many crocodiles. The monkey tricks the crocodiles by counting them as he travels across the sea starting at 1 moving to 10. After collecting the bananas the monkey says he must count the crocodiles one more time to be sure, and travels back to his home by the lemon tree. This book is funny and perfect for ages K-1 when learning about counting! The illustrations are fun and colorful, and allude many other classic stories kids know such as Goldilocks and the three bears. My favorite illustration is the "six crocs with pink Mohawks".

[Lagobond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things start off so well: fox and snail share lemon snacks, big words are used in the most fun way possible, the ocean is studded with crocodile eyeballs, "vicious" rhymes with "fishes," everything is so hilariously irreverent; and how could anyone not love a place called Sillabobble Sea?!

Alas... a few pages in, this magical concoction goes flop. The rhyme starts limping in the most painful fashion, and I just find myself wishing the author & editor hadn't agreed to phone it in. You had such a great concept, and the illustrations truly rock... you couldn't have polished the rhymes? Such a shame. With a bit more pencil chewing, this could have become a true classic of children's literature.

[Eunchu An · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a counting book, but it is interesting because it has a story that rhymes are used a lot. The story of a monkey who always eats lemons sees a banana tree on another island and uses a herd of crocodiles to get sweet bananas is interesting. Most of the counting books do not include stories, which visualized numbers by repeatedly counting a smart monkey in the process of achieving his goal using crocodiles. In the illustration, different activities or various types of crocodiles appear to induce children to count. In particular, the illustration in which all crocodiles appear is vibrant and splendid, which is likely to attract children's attention. This picture book makes young children familiar with numbers by inserting animals into illustrations.

[Kaylynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book can help teach a multitude of topics and is a great way to incorporate multiple subjects. Sierra's "Counting Crocodiles" not only is a great way to teach counting up to ten, but also how to count down. Throughout the pages we can also find rhyming words that students can point out and recognize. "Counting Crocodiles" illustrations also demonstrate the importance of observation, creating almost what you'd call a bonus story. Every illustration is thought out and extravagant, and even though they may not be the center focus... we see our main characters in every page! Pay close attention to each illustration to see what our friends the monkey, fox, and snail get into while on the hunt for some delicious bananas.

[Arleigh Stiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting Crocodiles is a beautifully illustrated, fun, counting book. The illustrations make it easy for readers to count exactly how many crocodiles are on each page, which is part of what makes it such a great counting picture book. The monkey first counts the crocodiles up from 1-10, and then back down from 10-1. The rhyming also makes it a fun and silly book that I imagine younger elementary students would enjoy. This book could accompany a math lesson really well. Questions like "how many crocodiles were there in all?" could even challenge students to think harder than just simple counting up and down.

[Lily Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great children'd book for learning how to count. It has a fun story and a good concept with the monkey getting to the banana tree in the end. The only reason I removed a star was because it is a really hard tongue-twister. I stumbled over a few words when reading it aloud. Other than this, I love the illustrations in this book. They fit very well with the story line and I enjoyed the colors used. I like how in each counting crocodile, each group was doing a different thing. I also think it was a great idea to have them repeat the numbers, making sure the reader can count more than once.

[Tori Crews]

This book tells the story of monkeys and crocodiles. The crocodiles try to eat the monkeys in a little island. The monkeys have a great idea of how they can trick them. The crocodiles were trying to tell the monkeys that they have more of them. The monkeys wanted bananas that were on the other side where th crocodiles were so they would eat them if they tried getting them. The monkeys pretended to count the crocodiles while going to get the bananas which distracted the crocodiles. The monkey got over to the bananas and was able to get them. This would be a great book for students showing counting.

[Lauren Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read. I enjoyed the fun illustrations the book had, especially the picture where there are 2 crocodiles o their own separate little island relaxing. One crocodile was laying under an umbrella whereas the other was asleep with a book on it. All of the pictures were very detailed and colorful.
Overall the book is silly but kind of long so I would recommend it for a higher age group like first grade being the youngest.

[Jessi Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations, creativity, humor, and story of this book are all 10/10. I love the way this book was written. It's a very quacky read. Children would think it was hilarious. The kids can participate in counting all of the funny crocodiles forward and backward. This book also teaches rhyme and rhythm. I would recommend Counting Crocodiles to all teachers. This book can be used for old and young students using adding, counting and multiplication.

[Selma Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story's rhythmic and rhyming text makes the book engaging for young readers, creating a delightful cadence that enhances the storytelling. I loved the vibrant and expressive illustrations by Will Hillenbrand that really brought the jungle setting to life, adding an extra layer of charm to the narrative. I also really liked the incorporation of counting into the storyline, it not only entertains but also provides a valuable learning experience for children.

[Sean Congemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting Crocodiles is a fun books for kids to read and help them learn to count. The book is about a monkey who sees a banana tree from far away but the only way to get to the banana tree is to cross the sea which is infested with crocodiles. The monkey has to count the crocodiles and cross the see to get to the bananas.

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a silly one but funny and effective. As Judy Sierra often does, the rhyming scheme hops around but since she’s so talented at poetry and metre it works for the most part. Picked this one because my 4 year old like crocodiles, silly stuff and some other Judy Sierra books so if that’s your criteria this will hold up. She enjoyed it and didn’t find it scary which actually surprised me.

[Melissa Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this to my own kids. It is fun story of how a monkey outsmarts a sea full of crocodiles. This is a great book to use to illustrate rhyming and for counting 1 to 10 and backwards. It also can be used for counting sets and is fun to use different voices to show the dialogue between the Monkey and the crocodile.

[Jami Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a cute book. It involves crocodiles and monkeys. The monkey was stranded on an island and wanted to eat bananas. The crocodiles said that they would never make it across to get to the bananas. The monkeys outsmarted the crocodiles and got the bananas. Throughout the story it involves counting forwards and backeards. Cute book for pre k.

[Elizabeth Prows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting Crocodiles is a whimsical book about a monkey who has to cross a crocodile infested sea to get to the banana tree. while crossing the sea the monkey counts and describes the crocodiles and their silly looks and activities. This is a funny book that most kids would enjoy and the artwork is so detailed and colorful!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a clever story with elaborate illustrations that will make you laugh. Monkey is tired of the sour lemons that grow on his island, but he sees a banana tree on a nearby island. Sadly, the ocean is full of crocodiles that would love to eat Monkey and his friends. Is Monkey clever enough to trick the crocs into giving him a ride?

This is a fun, but very wordy, read aloud.

[Robby Owen]

I like this book because it helps kids count to ten in a fun way by associating the number with a special set of crocodile, much like the 12 days of christmas. The different sets are also entertaining and engaging for kids to keep them focused on the book.

[Jasmine]

This book is humorous, and very interesting. I think it would definitely interest a young crowd and teach not only math but rhyming as well. It is a very fun counting book and the illustrations are great!

[XIS Grade 3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. (Champion)

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever monkey counts the crocodiles as she uses them as a bridge to the island with bananas

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A monkey wants bananas that are on a tiny island in a sea filled with crocodiles. The monkey finds a way, through clever counting, to trick them.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for beginning readers because it is predictable and illustrations give context clues to new words and it's not a condescending counting book.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with grandma at the Naval Undersea Museum

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this!