7 Frog Books We Love
Have you heard the one about the frog and the librarian? (I’d say you should stop me if you have, but you can’t!) Anyway, there’s this chicken who keeps visiting the library and saying, “Book! Book! Book!” to the librarian, who then gives her a book. Eventually the librarian follows the chicken to a pond. In the middle of the pond sits a large green bullfrog who, when he sees the book the chicken is carrying in her beak, croaks, “Read it! Read it!” Ha! Now, unless you want me to tell you more jokes, I suggest you hop right off of your lily pad and get your sticky fingers on these awesome amphibian reads.
Leaps and Bounce, by Susan Hood and Matthew Cordell
“From pond to nest to mountain range, few of us grow up unchanged!” (Well, I did, but your mileage may vary.) Follow the growth of some pond denizens from egg to frog. Join the ducks, fireflies, fish, and lizards as they gape in amazement, witnessing the natural wonder of maturation. The emerging frogs are having a blast in every stage of their development, and readers will too. As an added value, your child will learn the phrase “cheeky whippersnappers” and will use it at every opportunity for weeks to come. (Ages 3-5)
Foo, the Flying Frog of Washtub Pond, by Belle Yang
On the subject of changing and growing up: This book begins in Washtub Pond, with three friends who are all the same size. When Foo starts to change, however, his ego manages to grow even faster than his quickly expanding body. Foo’s boasting about his growth is just so much hot air, though. A little deflation is all he needs to bring him back down to Earth. (Ages 3-7)
The Frogs and Toads All Sang, by Arnold Lobel and Adrianne Lobel
Each page of this book delivers a delightful slice-of-amphibian-life poem accompanied by a vibrant, charming illustration. Subjects include: a toad who’s concerned with the appearance of his skin; polliwog school (where they only learn to wiggle, squirm, and giggle); and the raucous frog-and-toad party of which they all sang. A beautiful posthumous collaboration between father Arnold (creator of the beloved Frog and Toad oeuvre), and daughter Adrianne, this book is truly something special. (Ages 4-7)
Tad and Dad, by David Ezra Stein
You! Yes, you with the bed-sharing toddler! If your eyes aren’t too bleary from disturbed sleeping, you may recognize yourself (in frog form) in this book. Young Tad loves and admires everything about his daddy—“He has big buggy eyes, strong legs, and a huge mouth. He sings in a loud BUUURRPP that echoes across the pond.” Tad goes everywhere Dad goes, and while Dad is an encouraging guy, he’s also in need of some sleep—free of kicking, singing, poking, wiggling, and breakfast demands. Sound familiar? The ending is heartwarming. This book deserves to be read aloud right before bed, with your froglet snuggled close. (Ages 3-7)
999 Frogs Wake Up, Ken Kimura and Yasunari Murakami
Mother Frog wakes up. It’s spring. Her nine hundred ninety-nine children are still sleeping. What does she do? Well, I know what I’d do. Instead, she wakes the kids, counts them a few times, and lets them run about, waking all the other nearby hibernators. The insane number of froglets follow their Big Brother around in a gleeful romp, making a game out of seeking out all the other nearby sleepyheads. Some creatures are better left sleeping, though, as they soon find out. (It’s me; I’m better left sleeping.) The exuberance of the 999 frogs is infectious. Readers will be drawn right in to this high-spirited adventure. (Ages 4-8)
A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog, by Mercer Mayer
In this, the first book in Mercer Mayer’s classic series of wonderfully expressive wordless books, the boy and dog of the title set out to capture the aforementioned frog. The story is simple, and yet each illustration conveys so much emotion and feeling. Very few froggy faces have looked so human. Very few human faces have looked as sympathetic as the frog in this book (and the rest of the series.) I feel it’s worth mentioning that my early attempts to write a wordless blurb for A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog didn’t quite convey my admiration for the book, though I can’t see why. (Ages 2-5)
Green Wilma, by Tedd Arnold
Parenting is a constant game of wondering whether your child’s behavior is developmentally appropriate, or the kind of thing scientists and psychologists are going to write about. In the case of Wilma, when she wakes up green, leaping, and eating flies, her parents insist she shouldn’t go to school, but they don’t put much effort into stopping her as she hops out the door and onto the bus. Tedd Arnold’s characteristic rhyming prose and comic illustrations keep this zany story buzzing right along. This book has caused me to ponder Arnold’s fascination with flies, and I’m eagerly anticipating the as-yet unannounced Fly Guy vs. Green Wilma! (Ages 4-8)
What are your favorite picture books about frogs?