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ICSE Class 3 English★ 4-6 marks in Class 3 English Literature; poem comprehension

The Crocodile's Toothache

Shel Silverstein's HILARIOUS poem about a crocodile with a terrible TOOTHACHE who visits the dentist. The dentist is terrified — but everyone turns out to be BRAVE in their own way! A funny poem about courage and doing your job. ICSE Class 3 English Literature.

⏱ 6 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Retell what happens in the poem
2Explain why the dentist was terrified
3Say why the crocodile did not eat the dentist
4Identify the humour and the idea of bravery
5Use new words like dentist, terrified, and faint

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Why this chapter matters

'The Crocodile's Toothache' by Shel Silverstein is a funny poem that makes children enjoy reading poetry aloud. It builds comprehension of a simple narrative poem and introduces the gentle idea that everyone can be brave in their own way.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Class 3 English: Reading poems aloud

Enjoying rhythm and humour in poetry

The Crocodile's Toothache

About the Poem

'The Crocodile's Toothache' is a funny poem by the famous American poet SHEL SILVERSTEIN, who loved to write silly, surprising poems for children. This one imagines what happens when a CROCODILE with a sore tooth visits a DENTIST!

The Story in the Poem

A CROCODILE has a TERRIBLE toothache, so he goes to the DENTIST and sits down in the chair.

The dentist is TERRIFIED. 'This crocodile is going to EAT me!' he thinks. The crocodile opens his ENORMOUS mouth, full of sharp teeth, and the dentist SHAKES with fear.

But the crocodile is in too much PAIN to think about eating anyone. He just wants his tooth fixed. So the brave dentist gets to work and FIXES the bad tooth.

The crocodile says a polite 'THANK YOU' and walks out happily — and only then does the dentist FAINT from all the fright!

Why We Love This Poem

It is FUNNY and SILLY — a crocodile sitting in a dentist's chair! But it also has a sweet idea hidden inside it.

'The crocodile is scary, but he is also suffering. The dentist is scared, but he still does his job. Everyone is BRAVE in their own way.'

New Words

Word	Meaning
Dentist	A doctor who looks after teeth
Terrified	Very, very scared
Enormous	Very big
Faint	To suddenly fall unconscious

Fun Activity

Pretend you are the dentist. Write ONE sentence saying what you would say to a crocodile sitting in your chair!

Self-Test

Q1: Why did the crocodile go to the dentist?

Q2: How did the dentist feel when he saw the crocodile?

Q3: Why didn't the crocodile eat the dentist?

Q4: What did the dentist do at the end of the poem?

Q5: Who wrote this poem?

Answers

A1: Because he had a terrible TOOTHACHE. A2: TERRIFIED — he was afraid the crocodile would eat him. A3: He was in too much pain and only wanted his tooth fixed. A4: He FAINTED from fright after the crocodile left. A5: Shel Silverstein.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

What happens in the poem

Crocodile has toothache, visits dentist, tooth is fixed, dentist faints

A funny story told as a poem.

Idea of the poem

Everyone is brave in their own way

The crocodile bears pain; the dentist does his job despite fear.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking the crocodile wanted to eat the dentist

✓ He was in too much pain and only wanted his tooth fixed.

WATCH OUT

✗ Reading the poem too fast

✓ Read poems slowly so the words and humour sink in.

WATCH OUT

✗ Confusing who fainted

✓ The dentist faints from fright after the crocodile leaves.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Comprehension

Questions on the toothache, the dentist, and the ending

Questions

Self-Test

Recall and reasoning on the poem

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Recall

Why did the crocodile go to the dentist?

▶ Show solution

Because he had a terrible toothache.

Q2EASY· Comprehension

How did the dentist feel when he saw the crocodile, and why?

▶ Show solution

He was terrified because he was afraid the crocodile would eat him.

Q3EASY· Comprehension

Why didn't the crocodile eat the dentist?

▶ Show solution

He was in too much pain and only wanted his tooth fixed.

Q4MEDIUM· Theme

What does the poem show about bravery?

▶ Show solution

Everyone is brave in their own way: the crocodile bears the pain and the dentist does his job despite his fear.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•A crocodile has a terrible toothache.
•He visits the dentist, who is terrified.
•The crocodile is in too much pain to eat anyone.
•The brave dentist fixes the tooth.
•The crocodile says thank you and leaves.
•The dentist faints from fright.
•The poem is by Shel Silverstein and is funny and silly.

ICSE marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 4-6 marks, depending on the school paper

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
Comprehension	3-4	2	Events and feelings in the poem
Vocabulary / Theme	1-2	1	New words and the idea of bravery

Prep strategy

Read the poem aloud slowly
Note how the crocodile and dentist each feel
Practise words like terrified and faint
Be ready to explain the idea of bravery

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Enjoying poetry

Shows that poems can be funny and fun to read aloud.

Going to the dentist

Makes a visit to the dentist feel less scary.

Being brave

Teaches that we can do our job even when we feel afraid.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Read the poem carefully before answering
Answer in full sentences
Explain feelings with a reason
Mention the idea of bravery when asked the theme

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Find another funny poem by Shel Silverstein.
Write two rhyming lines about a visit to the dentist.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

ICSE Class 3 School ExamHigh

English Olympiad (junior)Medium

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

The poem is funny because it imagines something silly and unexpected: a huge, scary crocodile sitting politely in a dentist's chair. We laugh at the nervous dentist shaking with fear, at the giant mouth full of teeth, and at the surprise ending where the crocodile politely says thank you and the dentist faints. Shel Silverstein loved to write playful poems that mix something scary with something gentle to make children giggle.

The poem gently shows that bravery can look different for different people. The crocodile is brave because he sits still and bears the pain of his toothache. The dentist is brave because, even though he is terrified the crocodile might eat him, he still does his job and fixes the tooth. So the poem suggests that everyone can be brave in their own way, even when they are frightened.

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