Customer Reviews

Th Frog Who Wanted to See the Sea

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"The New Yorker" illustrator Guy Billout presents his latest children's picturebook, The Frog who Wanted to See the Sea, about a timid little frog named Alice with a grand dream, who dares to venture from her comfortable, humdrum pond in her quest to see the sea for herself. Her journey will lead her to bigger and bigger bodies of water, and introduce her to unusual friends - including the mysterious reflection of the moon. The striking illustrations vividly contrast light, shadow, and perspective in this wondrous tale of discovery.

I bought this book for my two daughters, age 3 and 5. The drawings are superb, very elegantly and imaginatively rendered. We were slightly disappointed by the story. It starts out well enough, the frog's desire to leave her little world behind had us all turning the pages, but the conclusion is not at all satisfying. Without getting too specific, the ending relies on a "magic moment" that falls flat. And it became hard for my girls to identify with the frog and her journey, when it all dissolved into a kind of magical non-realism. I think it would have been much stronger if the author had stuck to a more naturalistic ending, and imparted some real-life lesson or wisdom at the end of the journey. After a few readings, the girls have rarely asked me to get the book off the shelf. As much as we all love the pictures, the story failed to capture any of our imaginations.

This book is brilliantly illustrated throughout. While the story itself may not be great, it's short enough so you can still enjoy turning through the pages and looking at the illustrations. And if you're reading to your kids, you know it helps if the pictures can hold their attention. My 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter both enjoy reading this book together.