Customer Reviews

Face to Face with Frogs (Face to Face with Animals)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
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Too many science books for kids condescend to their readers, droning on and on with a never-ending list of dry facts. Not this one. The author is obviously a frog lover, and his passion for the creatures rubs off on readers. Mostly written in the first person, his book transports its readers into rain forests around the world, and truly does get "face to face" with dozens of frogs.

Amazon says this book is for kids ages 4 to 8, but I would extend it on up to adults. I learned a lot! For example, I didn't know a poison dart frog mom was a good parent. She carries a tadpole on her back up a tree and gently deposits it into a bromeliad pool. She takes each of her 20 tadpoles to a different spot. Then she visits each of them once a day to feed them an unfertilized egg -- an omelet -- until they transform into tiny frogs.

The first 25 pages are filled with stories like this. The last five offer ideas on how to study frogs, tips on how to help them and some fun facts.

As for the photos, most are close-ups and, since this is a National Geographic book, quite stunning.

Amazing stories! We bought this book after seeing Mark Moffett speak. The book is as compelling as he is in person. It's well-written, informative, and easy for kids to understand. My 5-year old loves the pictures and hearing the stories, we go through it together. Lisa, my 9 year-old is telling her friends cool frog stories, and my 11 year old is planning to search for frogs. The photos are the best I've seen of frogs, ever.

A very cool book for kids interested in frogs!
The photography is by a National Geographic photographer who specializes in critters, and is quite outstanding.

This is one of those books that every kid and adult will truly be awed by no matter what level interest they have in frogs. It is full of memorable pictures and fascinating facts. I have one on my coffee table and it always receives rave reviews from people of all ages.

This book is GREAT - I saw it's author on "The Colbert Report" - it received the "Colbert Bump" at least from me (Colbert Nation members will understand) - very interesting for all ages, with beautiful pictures, full color and perspective. It has great illustation and information also. Well worth your money !!!!!

So much information given in such a clear, interesting and concise manner. Children as well as adults will enjoy the way it is written. I have been a frog fan for a dozen years or so and I actually learned quite a few new tidbits.
One part about a mother dart frog actually moved me to tears at how maternal these precious jewel-like creatures are and how important it is that they remain on earth. The photographs are so vivid and truly document the journaled stories. The photo on page 26 is a classic! Thank you Mark Moffett and NG! I WANT MORE!
"HOP"py learning!

Mark Moffet's nickname is "Doctor Bugs" because he just loves small critters. He often goes on special assignment for National Geographic to photograph frogs. He loves his "frog adventures" and has learned a lot about them from herpetologists. Herpetologists are people who study reptiles and amphibians. One time he went to Brazil to look for the world's smallest frog. According to Mark it took him and his friends "three muddy days, just to find a single frog the size of the tip of your nose." It wasn't easy for them to pore through dead leaves one by one!

Scientists have discovered many interesting frog facts. Did you know that there are more than 5,400 different kinds of frogs? Did you know that when it gets to be more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit there is an African Frog, who attaches himself to plants, turns white and stays as hard as a rock until the rains come? When the rains finally arrive, the frog "absorbs water and hops away! Did you know there is a GIANT frog that can weigh in more than six pounds? These are only a few of the many frog facts you will find in this amazing book.

Of course there is little doubt that any National Geographic book for children is superb and this book is no exception. There are frog facts and/or marvelous photographs on every page. There are additional resources listed in the back of the book from additional book recommendations to numerous web sites. In addition to the stunning photography Mark Moffet is a great storyteller. This book would be an excellent classroom or homeschool tool for any budding Doctor Bugs.

I bought this book after seeing Moffett speak on The Colbert Report. I didn't realize it was a kids book, and the page here isn't very explicit about that, though had I looked a little closer I would have seen the reading level category.

Anyway, the pictures are beautiful. It focuses mainly on poison dart frogs, presumably since they're the prettiest looking. Because of that it makes a great coffee table book. And were I a child, it would definitely have been one of my favorites.