Customer Reviews

A Frog in the Bog

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first encountered this book at a local children's bookstore when it was read during story time. My 2-1/2 year old son loves this book. It is written in a wonderful "sing-song" style, which keeps my son's attention. The illustrations are really beautiful too. A wonderful book.

This is a very fun read! The rhyme has such a flow and pattern that's enjoyable to say and hear - it just rolls off your tongue. The illustrations are superb - the size of the pages and their images fill your vision with a multitude of wonderful colors, and the characters are adorable. And it's funny to boot! This has become one of the favorites in my house. Beautifully done!

...My four-year old son clamors for it again and again.

And why not? Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin's simple, yet witty tale of a frog that bites off more than he can chew is absolutely charming. From his insatiable appetite ("what a hog that frog") that slurps one tick, two fleas, three flies, four slugs and five snails right into an ever-expanding gullet, to the surprise of his life at the end of the tale, this frog on a half-sunk log in the middle of a bog is slimy fun.

Not only are the watercolors by Rankin picture perfect and lighthearted, but the Cajun-inspired meter of Wilson's verse just lilts right off the old tongue, even if the closest you've ever been to "N'Awlins" is New York City. Everything in this book works, from the word play to the expressions on the faces of the bugs crammed inside the frog's stomach.

Nothing gives me more pleasure than to have my child so excited to read a book, even if he's heard the story a thousand times. As a youngster starting to read in spurts, this book has encouraged him to read it all by himself. He wanted to make sure he knew all the words. What better recommendation can a parent give than that a book inspires a child to want to be a better reader!

I probably would not have picked this one up at first glance, but now I know that dad doesn't always judge books well by their covers. So I guess even a four-year old can teach a forty-two year old a thing or two about great literature.

Get the book. Your kids will love it (as Justin Wilson, the Cajun Chef used to say), "I geh-rawn-tee!"

I fell in love with this book the first time I saw it! Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but this is a cleaver counting story. Highly recommend.

This is one of those books that has everything going for it: great illustrations, a captivating story, and rhyming verses that are very pleasing to read aloud. The illustrations are particularly charming, done in soft watercolors with imaginative detail. The bog itself is a carnival of color where harlequin fleas romp among snails with candy-striped shells. The story, about a gluttonous frog and the creatures that wind up in his belly, is witty and entertaining throughout. The author make use of the repetitive style that young children love without being tedious. The ending has a cute surprise and a happy resolution for all. Truly fun to read, this book is the perfect length for a bedtime story (or two, or three!) My 3 year-old loves it, and I do, too. Really well done.

This is a delightful book that my children adore! I have a hard time getting my children to read any book that doesn't feature trains, trucks/cars, or construction equipment, but no arm twisting with this one. They love the rhythm, rhyme, and funny pictures. This should be a book in every preschooler's library!

...and believe me, you will. Some books have you groaning, "Not this one" when your kids bring them up to you; this is not one of those books. It's a really fun story that you and your kids will enjoy. I have two boys, 4 and 2, and they LOVE this book and I really like reading it to them. It should be in every little library.

My three year old daughter loves the book specially saying out the paragraphs loud with me. It has also diversified her reading out of TV and Disney characters based books.The photographs are drawn very beautifully and should appeal more as she gets older.

This is my 2 year old son's current favorite. The repititive lyrics are quite catching and holds his attention very well. Makes an excellent bedtime story as he gets absolutely still listening to Mommy read it to him. I have it memorized from cover to cover because I had read it to him so much!

It is definately on the top of my gift giving list right now!

I absolutely love this book and when I read it to children I always get requests for rereads. I love the rhyming wording in this one...

"There's a frog on the log in the middle of the bog.
A small, green frog
on a half-sunk long
in the middle of the bog."

This is one of those progressive works and starts with our little, very little, green frog as he sits on a log in his bog and starts eating. First is one tick, the two fleas, then three flies...and so on and on. This continues until our greedy little amphibian get to FIVE snails "from their heads to their tails." Of course our green frog gets bigger and bigger with each progressive feeding and there is simply no telling how far this would go until he suddenly sees a claw on the log in his bog and realizes he is on a GATOR!

Oh my! A very HUNGRY gator at that!

Well, I won't spoil the story for you our how the little green guy escapes becoming a meal himself, but trust me when I tell you that all ends well; from the original tick he eats and on.

I personally love the art work in this one. Now I realize that illustrations are purely a matter of taste, but I find the work of Joan Ranking very pleasing. Yes, it is a bit abstract in a whimsical sort of way, but I feel this adds so much to the story and I do know for a fact that most kids respond to it quite well. The pale colors have been used in a very interesting and creative way. Not only is the execution good, but they are also quite funny when you get to looking at them. Again though, some may find they are not fond of this technique.

This is a very pleasing read which is not only great for a one on one read, but also a group.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks