Like most rebellious children, the green frogs in this Korean folktale love to disobey their mother. What-ever she asks them to do, they do the opposite . . . until their bad habit lands them in trouble.
The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Although its conclusion may sit uneasily with guilt-phobic Americans, this Korean folktale is so beguilingly retold and visualized with such individuality that it deserves a wide audience. The ebullient, sensory-overload style of illustration Heo brought to One Afternoon is turned down several notches here, creating a busy, funny, yet delicate backdrop in oil and pencil. The story focuses on two frog brothers who always do the opposite of what their beleaguered mother asks?they even croak backward. Well aware of her sons' contrariness, the mother, dying and wishing to be buried on the sunny side of a hill, tells them, "Please bury me in the shade by the stream." Ironically, this time they obey and bury her by the stream. When it rains, they beg the stream not to wash their mother's grave away, "and ever since then, whenever, it rains, green frogs sit by streams and cry." This is a strong lesson in obedience, but deftly rendered with a light touch. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. What begins as a cheerful tale of naughtiness based on a Korean folktale (no notes are included) ends with a rather startling surprise. Crisp, exaggerated, rather sophisticated artwork, somewhat reminiscent of Lane Smith's style, depicts a pair of ebullient, contrary frogs, who refuse even to croak correctly. Their long-suffering mother knows that the best way to get them to obey is to request the opposite of what she wants. A problem arises, however, when her sons decide, in deference to their mother's memory, to follow her deathbed instructions to the letter. The story seems somewhat unbalanced--funny at the start, almost gloomy at the close, notwithstanding the legacy the frog children leave behind: "in Korea, children who don't listen to their mother are called chung-gaeguri or green frogs." But the artwork is dynamic--from the initial, lively double-page spreads depicting the antics of the naughty duo to the subdued illustrations of the tearful brothers begging the stream not to wash their mother's grave away. Stephanie Zvirin
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grimm style fairy tale,
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This review is from: The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale (Hardcover)
Just as many of the original, un-sanitized Grimm fairy tales were, well grim, this story, while charming, is a bit dark.
Having said that, the illustrations are absolutely charming and there is value to the story not being sweetened and told as it is.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Careful of the ending,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale (Paperback)
Wonderful introduction to Korean folklore, with gorgeous illustrations. The story is about two frog children who do the opposite of what their mom asks. At the end (cover your eyes if you don't like the ending given away), the froggie boys learn their lesson when their mom dies. I actually change the ending when reading it to young children, but it could be a nice book for talking to kids about doing what they're told. It is also a pourquoi story, also known as an origin story, which gives an explanation for why frogs croak when it rains.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
They should have listened to their mother.,
By
This review is from: The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale (Hardcover)
I love the playfulness of Yumi Heo's illustrations. They are cool and bursting with life. This folktale explains why naughty Korean children are called chung-gaeguri or green frogs. Karen Woodworth-Roman
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Long long ago, when tigers still smoked pipes, two green frogs lived with their mother in a lotus pond. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mother frog, green frogs New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Long long ago, when tigers still smoked pipes, two green frogs lived with their mother in a lotus pond. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mother frog, green frogs New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
4
books
cite this book:
- Writing Sense: Integrated Reading and Writing Lessons for English Language Learners by Juli Kendall on page 150, and Back Matter
- Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide by Betsy Hearne on page 56
- Folktale Themes and Activities for Children, Volume 1: Pourquoi Tales by Anne Kraus in Back Matter
- Korea (True Books: Countries) by Elaine Landau in Back Matter
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