Ten Sly Piranhas [Paperback]

William Wise (Author), Victoria Chess (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1993

Ten sly piranhas are swimming in a river, but one at a time they disappear, until there is only one left. Now that this proud overeater is the only surviving piranha, he is confident that he can eat anybody. But while he may be the cleverest fish in the river, he is no match for the giant crocodile lurking on the bank. Children will love learning to count backward in this crafty tale about one very hungry piranha.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wise's provocative subtitle translates to a sort of "Ten in a Bed" of the deep, wherein the protagonists devour one another until the last succumbs to a hungry croc. The concept is clever enough, on the face of it (although the literal-minded may object to the biologically inaccurate representation of this species of fish, which do not in fact eat their own), but Wise's verse is neither sprightly nor inventive enough to animate the entire countdown. Occasionally awkward in rhyme and meter, the verse is generally repetitious. Chess's almost fluorescently colored pictures contain some priceless examples of her trademark wicked wit (the glassy-eyed stare of a piranha who is growing sleepy in the sunlight, to fatal consequence, is particularly hilarious). In a sort of split-screen effect, they offer vistas of various tropical land animals above strips that portray the diminishing schools underwater. But even though the illustrations are fetching individually, they fall short of Chess's strongest work, chiefly because the underwater scenes--the focus of the story's action--provide little opportunity for visual variety. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-A story in rhyme of ten bright pink piranhas that, one by one, "with a gulp and a gurgle" outwit and devour one another until a crocodile comes along and "...then there were none." The lilting cadence of the anticipatory story makes it fun to read and hear. The right-hand pages of watercolor illustrations complement the lines of text on their facing pages. Their minute detailing of pen and ink outlining and crosshatching, depict the twisting flora and colorful fauna of the piranhas' jungle environment. Bright but not garish, they show both the shoreline inhabitants and the river teeming with turtles, piranhas-and crocs! Frogs, snakes, toucans, and anteaters, too, abound. White spaces frame each picture, drawing attention to the tumbling, intertwining scene. A reverse counting book for voracious readers.
Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc (1993)
• ISBN-10: 0590481231
• ISBN-13: 978-0590481236
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,601,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Preschoolers LOVE IT, August 11, 2007

By 

Julie D Wienecke "Julie Wienecke" (Clermont, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Sly Piranhas: A Counting Story in Reverse--(A Tale of Wickedness--and Worse!) (Hardcover)

I've taught preschoolers for 11 years and this book beginning to end captivates and it is FUN to read. The original reviewer must not know anything about what is child centered and this book can be used in several areas of curriculum. For math there is the obvious counting backward from 10, one to one correspondence thru 10. For literacy there is the/p/ sound for piranha, phonemic awareness of rhyming words and chanting in a rhythm. With a couple of readings your kids will anticipate the rhyme word and fill it in for you. There is alliteration for beginning sound phonemic word segmenting and then if you write out the alliterations on a sentence strip you have an awesome extension activity for print awareness, awareness of letters in print, ask the children "what is the 1st sound in the words gulp and gurgle?" they answer then have them find the letters in the sentence and circle them. Plus singing it is very fun so you get playing with language. buy it you won't regret it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frolicsome and Frisky, June 20, 2002

By 

The Accidental Reader "The Accidental Reader" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Sly Piranhas: A Counting Story in Reverse--(A Tale of Wickedness--and Worse!) (Hardcover)

You will want to read this book to your youngster. The rhyme and the rhythm of it will entice you both. Very enjoyable to read aloud. "Frolicsome and frisky and yet greatly to be feared" sounds even more fun in a Scottish accent, perhaps a la John Cleese. The pictures are colorful. This is the kind of thing you want to memorize so that you can entertain a little one someday when you are caught in a big traffic jam on the highway.

5.0 out of 5 stars quick shipping, great book, August 19, 2011

By 

beckaryan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ten Sly Piranhas (Paperback)

I love this book - I use it in my music classroom every year. Needed a new one because the other one was ruined in a flood. I received the book promptly and am happy with the condition.