Dangerous! - Story Snug

Dangerous! by Tim Warnes

Dangerous! tells the story of a label obsessed Mole who sticks labels onto everything. It’s a very amusing story and I am really excited about the potential for using this book in the literacy classroom.

The Story: Mole loves writing labels and sticks them everywhere!Β One day he finds something big and greenΒ on the path, he’s not sure what itΒ is but he sticks lots of labels on it. Suddenly the green thing yawns – it’s a crocodileΒ soΒ Mole sticks a ‘dangerous’ label on it. The crocodile eats the labels thenΒ tries to befriendΒ Mole. Mole finds the crocodileΒ annoying ands shouts at him which makes theΒ crocodile cry. The crocodile sticks his own label on his tummy and Mole reciprocates by writing a label that ensures that the two become friendsΒ (We won’t tell youΒ what the labels say, we’ll let you read the book to find out!).

Tim Warne’s beautifulΒ illustrations complement this easy to read story. My favourite spread shows crocodile trying to make friends withΒ Mole (even the flowers he tries to give Mole are labelled!). My daughter loves the first double spread which shows Mole labelling everything in his environment and she likes to read the words out loud. The label covered pictures provide lots of scope for discussion and give beginner readersΒ lots of opportunities to engage in reading.

Dangerous! - Story Snug

Mole is very cute and we share his outrage when the crocodile eats his precious labels but my daughter was also sad when MoleΒ ‘wasn’t kind to the crocodile’Β and made him cry. The story perfectly portrays the trials and tribulations of friendship and can help stimulate discussions with children who are trying toΒ understand their own friendships.

Dangerous! is a great book to use in the classroom as it can stimulate many literacy activities. At the beginning of the story Mole writes nouns on his labels as he knows what everything is called. When he finds the crocodile he writes adjectives. The use of labels is inspiring and could stimulate a label sticking activity in a reception class. Split the class into teams and give them different sets of coloured labels with different words to stick onto classroom objects. The team with the most correct labels wins, depending on the reading level and understanding of the children you could use adjectives as well as nouns. For older children this is a great story for introducing and consolidating adjectives. First sort some of Mole’s words into nouns and adjectives and discuss which you could pair together. Then ask the children to think of their own adjectives. For example, Which adjectives would you use to describe a crocodile? Which adjectives would you use to describe your friend? (like Mole does on the final wordless spread). They can then finish by drawing and labelling their own animal.

Dangerous! also includes over 100 free stickers. It’s a really fun book to read for pleasure as well as to use to stimulate learning.

Age Range: 3 +

Author / Illustrator: Tim Warnes

We were sent a review copy of Dangerous from Little Tiger Press. It’s a great book which we really enjoy reading and has given me lots of ideas for classroom activities.


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18 responses to “Dangerous! by Tim Warnes”


  1. Erica Price avatar

    Oh this sounds like fun. I’m always on the look out for an alternative to Beast Quest.


    1. Catherine avatar

      It is fun, I hope you like it Erica πŸ™‚


  2. Bakedpotatomummy avatar

    This sounds like a brilliant book. I’m off to look to see if I can buy this for Potato.


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s a brilliant book – we love it πŸ™‚ Hope you enjoy it too!


  3. CaroleHeidi avatar

    I think my two would love this book – it sounds really cute πŸ™‚ I like crocodiles in stories, I don’t know why but they are always such good characters!


    1. Catherine avatar

      This crocodile is a lovely crocodile, often crocodiles in books are portrayed as mean and unfriendly.


  4. Iona@redpeffer avatar

    Yes, such a different concept for a book and one that really works too by the sounds of it.


    1. Catherine avatar

      The learning is hidden amongst the fun πŸ™‚


  5. chantelle hazelden avatar

    I love the sound of this, it is a very different concept for a story and as you say so many activities can be used to extend the story further. thanks for linking up with #readwithme x


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s a simple concept with so much literacy potential (and humour!)


  6. gemma stevens avatar

    This sounds like a great book. My little one loves animal based books especially if it involves stickers! Thank you for linking up with #readingtogether.


    1. Catherine avatar

      You’re welcome πŸ™‚ The stickers are beautifully illustrated as is the book.


  7. Ulrike A. avatar

    Oooh – this sounds like a fun read and I always love to combine books with activities. I can also see how this would spark discussions of jumping to conclusions and prematurely sticking lables. A “dangerous” crocodile that becomes a friend? Love it! Thank you for bringing this book to my attention!


    1. Catherine avatar

      You’re welcome. The story definitely shows the importance of not labelling somebody new too quickly, they may not turn out to be like you think at all!


  8. Jenny avatar

    Oh, I am going to have to purchase this one. My little J, when she is scared says,”No monsters, no alligators, no crocodiles.” I am always looking for books to demystify the scary nature of these creatures.


    1. Catherine avatar

      Your comment made me think about other stories with nice crocodiles in, I don’t know that many but I can’t think of any nice ones!

      Yuck! That’s not a monster! by Angela McAllister is a great story with a cute monster in it https://storysnug.com/2013/02/yuck-thats-not-a-monster/


  9. Laura Evelyn Bee avatar

    Sounds like a lovely book and I will keep my eye out for it. My daughter is also obsessed with stickers so this one would be a hit! x
    #TMMBH


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s a great story for sticker obsessed children, I wouldn’t be surprised if my daughter starts labelling everything like Mole!