Frog Odyssey - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2-- A group of frogs leave their polluted pond in the country to find a new home. Taking their favorite diving post (a brass bedpost) and a jar full of their tadpoles, the creatures set off following the smell of water, which leads them ironically toward a city, and, after several adventures, to a lake in the city park (rather like a frog's Make Way for Ducklings ). From the first double-page watercolor illustration of the frogs playing on the bedstead in their pond to the final picture of them contentedly enjoying their new environs, the book is a delight. Most of the illustrations are done from a frog's-eye point of view, in a realistic, matter-of-fact manner. The indomitable animals are portrayed with humor and precision, performing engineering feats of some magnitude as they maneuver through the sewers; a restaurant; and back alleyways beset by cats, rats, cars, and human feet. Although the book could be used in storytime with success, it will be most enjoyed one-on-one so that the detailed pictures can be truly appreciated. A fine effort with an unobtrusive message about pollution as an extra plus.
- Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Lib ., LA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The displacement of animals by encroaching civilization leads a community of frogs to seek new surroundings when their old home, a junk-filled pool on the edge of a land fill, disappears. Carrying their tadpoles in a jar and wielding a brass bedpost, the unusual entourage makes its way into the city, where new dangers lurk. This hardy band is not deterred, however--not even by a marauding cat, sewer rats and "streets full of tramping feet." When their self-appointed scout finally spies a picture-perfect pond in the middle of a verdant park, the frogs' problems are solved. The ecological issues that form the underpinning for this quirky story are nicely balanced by the fantastical elements of the frogs' march (a journey that may remind kids of the even more fantastical frog excursion in David Wiesner's Tuesday ). The realistic illustrations' muted palette and, in particular, frequently skewed perspectives lend the proceedings a slightly surreal air. With a minimum of text--generally two to three lines per page--the multiple images on several pages briskly propel the action. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.