- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Animals
Solomon Crocodile
Part of the Catherine Rayner universeOpen the collection
A livelier Catherine Rayner title, with a mischievous crocodile looking for fun and accidentally annoying everyone around him. It adds useful comic energy to her gentler animal-led picture book range.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Solomon Crocodile wants someone to play with, but his idea of fun is not shared by the dragonflies, storks or hippo he bothers along the way. He is snappy, noisy, full of mischief and mostly convinced that everyone else is being terribly unreasonable. Then another troublemaker appears, and Solomon may finally have found someone who understands him. This is one of Catherine Rayner's more energetic picture books, combining her loose, beautiful animal illustration with a stronger comic rhythm than her quieter bedtime stories. The plot is simple and easy for preschoolers to follow: a lonely, overexcited character causes chaos, then discovers the value of a better-matched companion. It is especially useful for children who like cheeky animal characters, gentle troublemaking and stories about friendship forming through shared play rather than perfect behaviour.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–6
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Cheeky animals
- Animal comedy
- Friendship story
- Beautiful illustrations
- Mischief story
Avoid if
- Needs very calm bedtime
- Prefers human characters
- Dislikes mischief
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Starting nursery or preschool
- Anger management
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, warm read-aloud about a lonely crocodile causing chaos — lovely for talk about making friends.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is wanting to play and being too much — Solomon trying to join the dragonflies and the storks and the hippo, all of them running away, then another crocodile arriving who finally matches his energy. The Catherine Rayner on loneliness for the kid who's currently overwhelming their potential friends.
- Animal companions
- Friendship and belonging
- Adventure and freedom
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The livelier Catherine Rayner — comic rhythm rather than her gentler bedtime register, friendship-finding through shared chaos rather than perfect behaviour. Useful for the over-enthusiastic child whose play style is putting others off.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
About the author & illustrator
Catherine Rayner.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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