What time is it mr. crocodile

Title: What time is it Mr. Crocodile?
Author: Judy Sierra
About the author:Judy Sierra is the author of many award-winning books for children, including the bestsellers Antarctic Antics, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, and Wild About Books, illustrated by Marc Brown, which received the E. B. White Read Aloud Award. Ms. Sierra holds a PhD in folklore and mythology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is renowned for her retellings of traditional tales. She lives with her husband, Bob Kaminski, in northern California.
 http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Judy-Sierra/1250564/biography

grades: pre-k -3rd grade
Summary:Mr. Crocodile has big plans for finally catching--and eating--five pesky monkeys, but those little rascals dupe him again and again. By the time the clock strikes six, those mischievous monkeys actually teach Mr. Crocodile a thing or two about friendship . . . and about having fun!

My reaction: This would be a good story if you are teaching your students about friendship. The crocodile originally wants to eat the pesky monkeys, but as they help him with his everyday tasks he realizes that they are much easier to get along with than trying to catch. They eat dinner together and read stories and they befriend each other. This sends a good and powerful message to kids at a young age. I would recommend this book to any teacher or parent. The pictures are very detailed and colorful so the child will know exactly what is going on.

lesson ideas:After reading the book, play a game to practice telling time.  One student is the Crocodile and must wait outside of the classroom. 
Draw a digital time card out of the bag  and show the students. Call on a student to come up and put that time on a clock.  Ask the Crocodile to come back into the class. When the Crocodile enters the classroom, the rest of the students ask, "What time is it Mr. Crocodile?". The Crocodile must then write the time on the board and tell the students the time out loud. If the Crocodile is correct, the students will make a crocodile motion with their arms.  Call on another student until each child has had a turn to be the Crocodile.