Froggie Went A-Courting: An Old Tale with a New Twist [Hardcover]

Marjorie Priceman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

An updated version of the familiar folk song about the courtship and wedding of Frog and Ms. Mouse, set in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Froggie went a-courting, he did ride
A taxicab to the Upper West Side."

The 400-year-old Scottish folk song about the frowned-upon-yet-joyful marriage of a frog and a mouse is splashed with the lights of Times Square in Caldecott Honor artist Marjorie Priceman's clever take on "Froggie Went A-Courting." Where will the wedding party be? On top of the Statue of Liberty. Who will make the wedding gown? Ms. Dragonfly in Chinatown. Auntie Rat is against this amphibian-rodent marriage ("A slimy frog--he's not our kind!" she cried), but she can't stop the happy occasion. (The bold paintings explode with festive wedding-day color, bees, and jazzy melodies.) That's not to say that Ms. Rat herself can't be stopped, as a black-tailed feline guest shows up at the wedding and eats her. While this can't exactly be called a moral story ("Those who exhibit prejudice will be promptly eaten by a predator" just doesn't seem right), Priceman outdoes herself with these splashy, colorful, skewed-perspective glimpses of New York City. (Preschool to age 6) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

With characteristic verve, Priceman (One of Each) turns the Scottish folk song about the marriage of a frog and a mouse into a zingy picture book. In this rendition, the action takes place not in the countryside but in contemporary Manhattan. Froggie hops a cab over to Ms. Mouse's apartment above the Cheese World storefront and asks for her hand in marriage. Soon preparations for a reception atop the Statue of Liberty are underway. Word of the engagement flashes in Times Square lights; Ms. Mouse reads Modern Mouse Bride. But just as the wedding celebration goes into full swing, "a guest with a long black tail" arrives, sets the partygoers scurrying and makes a meal of crabby Auntie Rat. Priceman pays a fitting tribute to the Big Apple, giving her text a big-city bustle and rhythm and showcasing such attractions as Chinatown, the Empire State Building and a Circle Line tourist boat. She more than matches the story's zip with gouache and cut-paper compositions saturated in kicky color. A master of clever perspective, Priceman whisks readers from street-level views of towering buildings to the sky-high party in Lady Liberty's crown. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Megan Tingley; 1st edition (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316712272
• ISBN-13: 978-0316712279
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,166,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too cute for words!, June 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Froggie Went A-Courting: An Old Tale with a New Twist (Hardcover)

As a music teacher who uses the traditional song "Frog Went A-Courtin'" in class, it was a delight to see this new book based on the old folk song. The story now takes place in New York City. Instead of Froggy going courting with a sword and pistol by his side, now he takes a taxi to the upper west side! All the verses are very cute, incorporating other parts of NYC (Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Broadway, Chinatown, etc). The story goes right along with the old folk song, just adds a modern twist. It's fun to sing the story with the traditional melody (adding the mm-hmm mm-hmm's) as well as reading it as-is. It's also fun to compare the traditional song to this new updated one. There's a book by John Langstaff that uses the traditional song. Great story, great illustrations, GREAT BUY!

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice variation., November 7, 2009

By 

Ulyyf "Connie" (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Froggie Went A-Courting: An Old Tale with a New Twist (Hardcover)

As the author states in the foreword, there are literally HUNDREDS of variations of Froggie Went A-Courting. I personally know three different versions (and four different melodies, one of the versions has two melodies) to this song, and I know of several more. So before anybody talks about the "traditional tune doesn't match the words", I gotta ask - which tradition? Which tune?

However, I will note that most versions I know of have a chorus. If you're going to sing this book you're largely going to have to add the chorus yourself, and probably repeat lines here and there. That means this book is going to take two to three times longer to SING than it is to READ. Be prepared. (I sing it by tripling the first line and adding the refrain where needed.)

I like the illustrations well enough, and, as a New Yorker, I love the new setting. (You'd be surprised, but there actually aren't as many picture books as you'd expect that take place in a city. I snatch them up wherever I see them!)

I will say, however, that some of the word choices are a bit clunky. "Into town the guests did funnel/some by bridge and some by tunnel" springs to mind, as does "How many layers on the cake?/As many as floors in the Empire State". (That one particularly irks me, as the Empire State is New York State. The building is the "Empire State" Building.) And at one point they really make no sense. After Auntie Rat is duly eaten (she spent the whole book trying to break up the happy couple, so no great loss there) we first are told "All the guests then did cry", but then we're told that the guests pretty much IMMEDIATELY "resumed their celebrating" which, no matter how unliked Auntie Rat may have been ("Though cat ate rat there's no denial/Aunt Rat at last made someone smile"), strikes me as a wee bit callous. I mean, she was just EATEN right in front of their eyes! A moment of silence wouldn't go amiss.

Still, if you can ignore the few weird areas, it's a great book. I recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Froggie went a Courting, May 9, 2009

By 

Teresa Eun Young Kwon "bookwormgrl" (Saratoga, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Froggie Went A-Courting: An Old Tale with a New Twist (Hardcover)

It is another fabulous illustration book by Marjorie Priceman about our creature friends, a frog and a rat who decide to tie the knot. The characters are unique and fun both in design and personality... How they relate to each other is especially something different. The setting of New York is designed with a broadway flair bold and dramatic, resembling other Priceman work. It is a fun read for young children to give them a sense of New York from Chinatown, West Side, Broadway, Chinatown and more!