Find out what happen when a crocodile is hatched among a family of ducks. A read aloud by Robert Guillame us available on Storylineonline. ( )

Genre
Picture books for children
Subject
Animals
Crocodiles
Ducks
Families
Identity

A sweet story about a crocodile born into a family of ducks. Despite being different, he is loved my mother duck just the same as her chicks. One day the young crocodile meets a family of other crocodiles. The crocodiles try to convince Guji Guji to turn on his family and join them. When he is faced with a difficult decision, he learns here he truly belongs. I like the message that you do not have to look the same to be family. Family is about who you choose to love. The illustrations were adorable. I think this could be a good book to discuss the topic of adoption. ( )

An egg rolled all the way down the hill. All the eggs were all okay, but after hatching they noticed one wasn't a duck. Mother duck didn't pay attention to the difference. Guji Guji was a crocodile. Eventually the crocodiles come back for Guji, but he doesn't want to go with the crocodiles. He has to think of a way to save his duck family. He thinks of a great plan and it works! The theme of the book was great. It doesnt matter who you are, you can be anything you set your mind to no matter who says something. ( )

This is definitely a book about acceptance and individuality. A baby crocodile, named Guji Guji, believes he is a duck because he is raised by a duck family and when he sees his reflection and shadow he looks like a duck. Throughout the book Guji learns the definition of family and he learns that you do not have to look like your family to be apart of it. This book could be relatable to many students whether they were adopted or have half siblings, or even if they feel as if they do not fit in. ( )

I like this book because the plot was suspenseful and engaging. Guji Guji is a baby crocodile, but he does not look like his duck family. Guji Guji believes he is a duck in the story because his reflection in the puddle of water is a duck, not a crocodile. Even the shadow underneath the moonlight is duck-like. The crocodiles try to eat the ducks, but Guji Guji thrown rocks into their mouths. I was amazed by the ending because Guji Guji was a hero of the day, so they celebrated and danced. I like the term "crocoduck." I believe the theme is identity because Guji Guji was identified as a duck, not a crocodile. I know the kids would enjoy this cute story. ( )

Guji Guji, a crocodile, is adopted by a family of ducks when he is first born. Guji Guji learns that you don’t have to look like your family in order to be a family. I think this book sends an important message to students who may have been adopted or come from blended families. This book has playful illustrations and the characters have creative names. ( )

One day an egg rolled down a hill and into a duck's nest. The mother duck didn't notice because she was reading a book, but as the eggs hatched 3 ducks hatched and rather odd-looking duck and the first thing he said was guji guji, so that's exactly what Mother duck named him. Mother duck still taught all 4 ducklings how to swim, how to dive, and how to waddle. Guji guji was always quick to catch on and he was definitely bigger and stronger than the others, but Mother duck loved them all the same. One day, 3 crocodiles that looked like Guji guji came out of the lake and made fun of Guji guji for acting like a duck when he was actually a bad crocodile just like them. The bad crocodiles told Guji guji to bring his duck family to the lake the next day for diving lessons so they could dive straight into their mouths. Instead, the next day Guji guji brought his duck family to the lake for diving lessons, but instead of the ducks diving, it was hard and big rocks that cracked the bad crocodiles' teeth.

I really enjoyed this story. I think it's really sweet and cute and reminds me a lot of the little duckling story. I love that the crocodile was accepted by the Mother duck and she loved them all the same. I think that's why the Guji guji chose to side with his duck family because he knew he would be loved and accepted there rather than with the bad and mean crocodiles. ( )

In my opinion, this is a good book. Even though this is a modern fantasy book, the storyline can be related to an actual event that can happen. The characters are not humans, but if we change them to humans and change the story around a bit, it could all totally work. The main character Guji Guji is a crocodile that’s been raised by ducks. “I am not walking like a duck, I am a duck!”. He is completely convinced that he is a duck until told and proven otherwise by other crocodiles. The crocodiles try to convince him to let them eat his duck family, he refuses and protects his family. He admits that he is not a duck, which proves he is a well-developed character. In the book it says, “I am not a bad crocodile. Of course, I am not exactly a duck either”. The plot is organized and well developed. There are no points where I am lost in what’s happening, there are no holes in the story. It all flows well and stays consistent. The story started out fine, with no problems, and then a problem appeared, then came to a solution and everything was good again. “Guji Guji had saved the ducks! Guji Guji was the duck hero of the day!” The big picture here that the author is trying to convey is that you don’t have to go along with the norms, and you don’t have to only stay with the people that may look like you or live like you. You are free to do what you please and are not limited to staying with those similar to you. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen-
I enjoyed this book very much. It was very playful and humorous. The use of personification made the book very cute for me. I enjoyed the tale of the ducks learning and growing up together, despite their differences, believing that they were all ducks. A large green egg rolls into Mother Duck’s nest, and she doesn’t realize it because she was reading.The “ducks” waddled and swam together, and even though Guji Guji looked different and did things a different way, Mother Duck loved him as equally as her other ducks. One day, Guji Guji met these crocodiles who tried to convince him that he was a bad crocodile. The crocodiles explained that the physical features he had were to benefit him in eating things like ducks, and tried to tell him to bring the ducks and practice diving off the pier into their mouths. Guji Guji left sad, and realized that he wasn’t a bad crocodile or a duck either. Although Guji Guji wasn’t a real duck like his brothers and sisters, he needed to do everything he could to protect his family: Mother Duck, Crayon, Zebra, and Moonlight. He meets the crocodiles at the pier the next day and when they were waiting for the ducks to fall down, Guji Guji threw rocks into their mouths. He spent every day becoming a stronger and happier “crocoduck”. ( )

I enjoyed this story and the message. Guji Guji is a crocodile that is raised in a family of ducks. Guji Guji encounters other crocodiles one day, and they try to convince him to lead them to the ducks. Guji Guji decides not to take the crocodiles to the ducks because they will eat them and Guji Guji wants to protect his family. Guji Guji at first was conflicted because he knows his is different than the ducks. I like that this story's message of acceptance is put into a kid-friendly scenario. The story focuses on a mixed family of ducks and a crocodile and the ducks welcome the crocodile with open arms. ( )

I liked this book because it sends a message about character and how it doesn't matter what you look like. Also, I love how this book sends the message that anything can make you family. Even if you are not biologically related you can still become family. This language is descriptive and clear. I liked the description of each duck. Also, I enjoyed the unique language such as the name "Gugi Gugi". The writing is engaging and is organized. I believe the characters are believable and well-developed. Even though these characters are animals they can relate to real people by the characteristics of the story. This story is written in third person point of view. The plot is organized and has suspense. The alligators ordered Guji Guji to bring the ducks so they can eat them. It was suspenseful when he actually brought the ducks to the location. It was a sign of relief when Guji tricked the crocodiles and threw down hard rocks. The illustrations fit the style of the text. This book pushes the reader to think about differences and family. It doesn't matter the differences because love and loyalty makes family.

Guji Guji, a crocodile, grows up in a welcoming family of ducks. One day, Guji Guji meets other crocodiles who convince him to mislead his duck family so that they can eat the ducks together. At first, Guji Guji feels very conflicted, but he decides to protect his duck family from the crocodiles. He is able to grow up in a warm and welcoming family, living the lifestyle of a duck.

One day, an extra-large egg rolls right into Mother Duck's nest. She is busy reading and doesn't notice the new addition, but this lucky event will change her life. Her hatchlings include a yellow duckling; one with blue spots; another with brown stripes; and a rather unusual, crocodile-shaped youngster, named after his first words. Guji Guji grows bigger and stronger than his siblings (and more crocodilelike), but Mother loves all her offspring the same. When three duck-hungry crocodiles make fun of Guji Guji's ways and try to tempt him into betraying his family, he is put to the test. This beautifully written story has much to say about appreciating families and differences, and it will resonate with children long after the final page is turned. ( )

Guji Guji is an everyday duckling. The rest of the animals call him all kinds of animals. This story shows that family is everything and that no matter where they came from the family was going to stay together. ( )

In my opinion this is a extremely well written book that uses well developed characters, a suspenseful plot and descriptive language and illustrations to tell the tale of Guji Guji, the croco-duck. I really enjoyed the characters in the book because they were extremely believable. Although it was not your average group of ducklings because some had stripes, others pooka dots and one was a crocodile, they were still believable because they the author used personification to bring them to life. They were a family who stuck up for each other, which is something that could happen any day. I really loved Guji Guji because even though he knew he was a little different from the rest of the ducklings, he knew what the crocodiles were asking him to do would hurt his family, no matter what they looked like or who he looked like. Which is an extremely powerful message for children because often times people are peer pressured into doing something they may not necessarily do on their own because someone who is similar to them or even their friend tells them to. Guji Guji stuck by his family because they stuck by him, even though he was different. I also enjoyed the suspenseful plot. I found myself trying to predict what was going to happen next and I couldn't. It was so engaging and organized. The plot made me think about adoptions because Guji Guji's egg rolled into someone else's nest, yet the mother duck still took care of him like her own. This is nice because many children are adopted and this shows that it is okay to be different. Lastly, the language and illustrations had me hooked. I loved the style of the illustrations, even though they were drawings, I wanted to keep flipping to see the next picture. The style of the illustrations fit the mood of the story 100% and the language was clear and precise. The book Guji Guji had many underlying messages throughout having to do with family, making smart choices, which are both issues/conflicts children and people face everyday. By bringing the animals to life and giving them real life problems it makes it easier to cope and understand them yourself. ( )

In my opinion, this is a wonderful book for those who are looking to address the subject of adoption in a unique way. When Mother Duck wasn't looking, a crocodile egg rolls into a nest of duck eggs. When Mother Duck's chicks hatch, along with the crocodile egg, each of them are different. They all have different colors and are shaped in different ways. I like how Mother Duck treats all of her children equally, even though crocodile looks nothing like a duck.

The illustrations very well show the differences between night time and day time, as well as how the characters are feeling. Lighter pastel colors show happiness within the characters, where as darker colors show nighttime is approaching. ( )

Funny,?�adorable and almost subversive - effective for anyone adopted, or for anyone who doesn't feel like they fit in. ?áI particularly liked the drawings of Mother Duck reading the duck version of What to Expect when You're Expecting and of Guji Guji trying to act fierce. ( )

I really enjoyed this story for many reasons. The illustrations went with the story perfectly. They were done in light cool colors when the mood of the book was happier. When the mood of the book was grim and nasty, the colors got bleak and darker. The pictures were simple but just enough to feel the mood on each page. Like when the "bad alligators" came to talk to Guji Guji, the colors looked like a muddy brown and were darker. This made me feel like something bad was going to happen and that Guji Guji should not trust them. The language was very appropriate for young readers. The words were simple vocabulary that young elementary schoolers could understand. Simple words like "bad" were used to describe throughout the story. This would be a good book to share with young students. I also really enjoy the message that was in the story. The baby crocodile ended up expressing himself the way he wanted. He grew up acting like a duck, and he did not change because of what anyone said. That is an important message to share with young students. It is okay to be different and stand up for your family. ( )

After reading, Guji Guji, I had mixed emotions about the storyline. I liked and disliked this book for many reasons. The story was about an egg that separated from its natural home and was then raised by ducks. Crocodiles then judged the other crocodile for acting like a duck and living with ducks. The little crocodile didn’t let that phase him. Instead he proved the other crocodiles wrong and stood up for his duckling brothers and sisters. First, I liked the book for the message that was conveyed. No matter what you look like or who you grow up around/with, it is important to accept who you are. Don’t let anyone bring down your happiness. I disliked the book because of its lack of enjoyment in my opinion. The story was very organized. Young children may find the story entertaining, but I didn’t.

In my opinion the book Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen is not the greatest story. While I do like the message of embracing who you are and not letting other people tell you who you are and what you should do. There isn’t much else to offer. The illustrations are very sloppy and hard to decipher at times. The author did a good job of portraying Guji Guji’s emotions such as when he was happy to be born and to a duck. But other than that the characters are not believable nor do they play any other role. The other four ducks don’t have any dialogue at all or play any sort of role. The book does not push readers to think about any tough issues. ( )

I really liked this book, because it was all about embracing who you are, and not to listen to others. This is because you are the only one that could possibly know yourself to the fullest. I disliked how rude the crocodiles were. I really liked the names of the ducks based off of the illustrations that they mimicked when born. The main message of the story is to always be true for yourself, and defend what you truly believe to be true. ( )

Guji Guji rolled into a duck's nest when he was still an egg. Although he was different, the mother duck raised him as the other ducklings and loved him like he was her own. When 3 crocodiles find the ducks, they tell Guji Guji what he really is, a crocodile. They laugh and make fun of him. They then ask him to lure the ducks into the pond so they can eat them. Guji makes a plan to protect the ducks. I enjoyed the book because it shows children how to stand up to bullies and protect your friends. It also sends the message that family can be anyone you love no matter how different you are. The only thing I did not like about the book was the illustrations. They did not look real and were very dull and not colorful. I feel it would be hard to children to be engaged with them. ( )

I had mixed feeling about this book after reading it. I liked the book because I believe that it tells a great story of love and acceptance. The author did a great job of portraying the emotions of the main character being Guji Guji in the story. The story has a significant meaning and message regarding individuality. Guji Guji was aware of the fact that he was not a duck but he also knew that he was not a mean crocodile. I liked the story because all of the characters accepted him for who he was, and Guji did what was right in the end to save his family of ducks. However, I didn’t like the book because the illustrations were not very appealing to the eyes. The colors that were used to represent each illustration were very dull and dark. This was beneficial with portraying the evil characters of the story, but the colors did not show happiness when it was required. The main idea of the story is accepting who you are in life and finding both your fit and purpose. ( )

In my opinion, the underlying message of this story was excellent, however, I did not find the characters or illustrations to be believable or attractive to the eye. The illustrations had harsh, ragged lines, with darker colors throughout the entire story. These colors made the tone of the book seem like danger is looking or a storming is about to occur. The characters, Guji Guji, his duckling siblings and the water creatures are all unrealistic looking, and I personally could see how some children may be afraid of the water characters. The underlying message however, made this a good read. Readers can connect to Guji Guji's story of learning who he is and that it is okay to be different from others. Guji Guji demonstrates the importance of loving one another by defending his siblings from the mean creatures. ( )