The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (review)

Ah, watermelon—so juicy and sweet, and so laden with seeds that, according to the mischievous, will grow a watermelon plant in your insides. That’s the dilemma faced by our little green hero, who has adored watermelon “ever since I was a tiny baby crocodile” and would eat it all day if he could. But then he makes his mistake: “I swallowed a seed! It’s growing in my guts! Soon vines will come out of my ears!” A hearty burp reveals that his gastric distress had a different origin, and after a brief swearing off of the stuff he’s right back on the melon again. This is simple and punchy, with accessible humor and a modest emotional conflict that youngsters will recognize. While it’s not exactly debunking the myth (in fact, the visuals suggest that the croc is saved because the seed bounces back out of his mouth when he belches), there’s a tacit recognition of the bogusness of the factoid in the amusing hyperbole, so nervous youngsters will find the breezy exaggeration ultimately reassuring. Even the art is watermelon—the three-colored palette (watermelon-pink, rind-green, and seed-black) against matte cream pages echoes the fruity goodness and allows for maximum eye-popping contrast. Screen printing allows for sweet intensity and subtle textures in Ben Day dots and overprinting, while the pared-down simplicity of the spreads and lively incorporation of text into the images provides graphic oomph that will reach the back row of the storytime rug. Watermelon season would be the perfect time to bring this one out—seed-spitting contest afterwards optional.