Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Girl brings alligator for show-and-tell in funny romp.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Magnolia's teacher tells her students to bring in "something from nature" for show-and-tell. She doesn't want you to bring an alligator because, she says, "alligators are trouble!" Magnolia brings one anyway, promising to keep him under control, but he causes all sorts of disruptions, including flying a paper airplane into the teacher's head, tangling up students in chewing-gum strings, and almost eating a classmate. Because she's responsible for all this mayhem, Magnolia has to stay in at recess and later go to the principal's office.
Is It Any Good?
This funny picture book is a delightfully offbeat cautionary tale narrated by main character Magnolia and written in the second person. She speaks directly to the reader, telling "you" what not to do -- or else you'll get in trouble and could be sent to the principal's office.
The premise of IF YOU EVER WANT TO BRING AN ALLIGATOR TO SCHOOL, DON'T! is simple and silly, but the real draw is the expressive art. The teacher's look of irritation when she gets hit in the head with a paper airplane; Magnolia's gleeful (disruptive) reaction to the alligator's funny drawing passed to her in spelling class; her terrified, wide-mouthed expression when she notices the alligator's jaws hovering over an oblivious classmate's head -- these moments will provoke giggles if not guffaws in young readers. It's loads of fun and tailor-made for reading aloud.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about show-and-tell. Do you have that at your school? What might you bring in? Would it cause trouble?
What are the funniest pages in the book? How does the art help tell the story?
What would you warn kids not to do at school?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Elise Parsley
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publishers : Little , Little, Brown and Company
- Publication date : July 7, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 6
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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