The Watermelon Seed

by Greg Pizzoli, Greg Pizzoli (Illustrator)

Overview

With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that kids will love, and the new board-book format makes this hilarious romp the perfect pick for preschoolers.

Praise for The Watermelon Seed

Winner of the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award "

Pizzoli legitimizes childish anxieties but also slyly exaggerates each worry to highlight the humor."
-New York Times

* "It's an expert debut..."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Children will love this hilarious book...The story has broad appeal, making it a great first purchase."
-School Library Journal, starred review"

The illustrations, done in a graphic, flat-color style with simple linework, recall the cheerful stylings of Ed Emberley and Roger Hargreaves. While Pizzoli uses the computer to arrange his compositions, he takes extra care to hand print the pieces. Done in a three-color printing, the silk screen offers a toothiness to the page, giving fruit, animal and emotions more substance."
-Kirkus Reviews"

With a sharp graphic sensibility, vibrant design, and adept characterization, Pizzoli spins the simple premise into a sweet confection, ripe with broad humor."
-Booklist Online

Praise for Number One Sam"

Pizzoli's zingy ice-pop colors and dramatically varied page compositions take home the blue ribbon."
-New York Times

* "[A] class act."
-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[A]nother winner from Pizzoli."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "'[A] popular choice at storytimes." -School Library Journal "

Pizzoli's talent with color, easy-to-read words, and humor is something to behold . . . This one does it all."
-Horn Book"

[T]his will zoom off shelves."
-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for Templeton Gets His Wish

"Cheerful entertainment, with just a touch of snark."
-Publishers Weekly

"The story's exuberance is catching and reassuring . . . Templeton is a celebration of independence, and of our complex feelings about those we love."
-Horn Book
"

Templeton...conveys intense emotion with a few simple lines and very bright colors, as his tale reflects the endearing aspects of a small child's struggles to behave."
-Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484712368
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Edition description:	Board Book
Pages:	30
Sales rank:	52,688
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	350L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 Months to 2 Years

About the Author

Greg Pizzoli is an author, illustrator, and screen printer. When not chomping down on watermelon, Greg can be found making picturebooks at his studio in Philadelphia. He is also the author of Number One Sam, Templeton Gets His Wish, and Good Night Owl. Visit him at www.gregpizzoli.com

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM

* "[A] class act."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

PRAISE FOR TEMPLETON GETS HIS WISH"

Templeton...conveys intense emotion with a few simple lines and very bright colors, as his tale reflects the endearing aspects of a small child's struggles to behave."
—Booklist

PRAISE FOR TEMPLETON GETS HIS WISH"

The story's exuberance is catching and reassuring . . . Templeton is a celebration of independence, and of our complex feelings about those we love."—Horn Book"

With a sharp graphic sensibility, vibrant design, and adept characterization, Pizzoli spins the simple premise into a sweet confection, ripe with broad humor."—Booklist Online"

The illustrations, done in a graphic, flat-color style with simple linework, recall the cheerful stylings of Ed Emberley and Roger Hargreaves. While Pizzoli uses the computer to arrange his compositions, he takes extra care to hand print the pieces. Done in a three-color printing, the silk screen offers a toothiness to the page, giving fruit, animal and emotions more substance."—Kirkus Reviews

* "Children will love this hilarious book...The story has broad appeal, making it a great first purchase."—School Library Journal, starred review

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM

* "[A]nother winner from Pizzoli."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM"

Pizzoli's zingy ice-pop colors and dramatically varied page compositions take home the blue ribbon."—New York Times

Winner of the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

PRAISE FOR TEMPLETON GETS HIS WISH"

Cheerful entertainment, with just a touch of snark."—Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM"

[T]his will zoom off shelves."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM"

Pizzoli's follow-up to the 2014 Geisel Award winning The Watermelon Seed . . . pull[s] off a far more emotional feat than you'd expect."—Booklist

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM"

Pizzoli's talent with color, easy-to-read words, and humor is something to behold . . . This one does it all."—Horn Book

PRAISE FOR NUMBER ONE SAM

* "'[A] popular choice at storytimes."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Each imagined scenario is boldly illustrated on the page in a stripped-down palette of watermelon-y shades of pink and rind green. Children will relate to each catastrophic possibility: a stretched-out stomach, skin that turns pink. Pizzoli legitimizes childish anxieties but also slyly exaggerates each worry to highlight the humor.

The New York Times - Pamela Paul

Classic kid fear: accidentally swallow a watermelon seed, and the result will be a botanical version of what the zombie virus does to folks in The Walking Dead: vines will come out of your ears, and pretty soon you’ll turn pink and wind up a morsel in someone else’s fruit salad. In this first book from Pizzoli, the goal isn’t to assuage readers’ fears, but he does defuse them with help from an adorable bug-eyed crocodile who’s hooked on watermelon (“Ever since I was a teeny, tiny baby crocodile, it’s been my favorite. CHOMP! SLURP! CHOMP!”). Pizzoli’s ostensibly simple cartooning is actually quite clever: he plays with framing and scale to gently spoof the crocodile’s horror-movie imaginings (“It’s growing in my guts!”), while the limited but luscious palette (watermelon pink and green, of course) and a subtly pulpy texture make each spread good enough to eat. It’s an expert debut, and one with a valuable lesson, to boot: a hearty burp can brighten even the darkest hour. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—Children will love this hilarious book. Crocodile has devoured watermelon since babyhood and eats it every chance he gets. One day, however, he swallows a seed. This sends him into a panic. Will it grow inside him and come out of his ears? Will he grow larger and turn pink? The poor crocodile is so worried until he burps up the seed. He vows to never eat watermelon again, but will he be able to resist? The illustrations of the reptile's fear about what might happen to him are very funny and the oversize font on those pages reinforces the emotion in the story. The artwork was created by screen print in pink, green, black, and brown. This simplicity allows readers to fully appreciate the changes in the croc's facial expressions, which artfully contribute to the humor. The story has broad appeal, making it a great first purchase.—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

School Library Journal

A watermelon-loving crocodile worries over a swallowed seed in this balmy tale. Juicy endpapers of watermelon pink draw readers into this playful tale about a crocodile and his favorite fruit. Oh, how this friendly little croc adores his watermelon. But when he accidentally eats a seed, it's an emergency! The silly reptile frantically envisions the consequences of growing a melon inside one's belly, until his stomach responds. With a large belch, the seed is dislodged, and the croc happily swears off watermelon—until the next delectable slice. The illustrations, done in a graphic, flat-color style with simple linework, recall the cheerful stylings of Ed Emberley and Roger Hargreaves. While Pizzoli uses the computer to arrange his compositions, he takes extra care to hand print the pieces. Done in a three-color printing, the silk screen offers a toothiness to the page, giving fruit, animal and emotions more substance. However, the ingenuity of Pizzoli's work is in the making of the images, rather than in the story itself, which is about as substantial as, well, a piece of watermelon. A humorous vignette with deliciously bright colors that leap from the page. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews