Some Frog! [Hardcover]

Eve Bunting (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

There's a frog-jumping competition at school and Billy asks his dad to help him catch a frog. But when it's time to hunt for a good jumper, Dad doesn't show up. Billy's mom comes through, again, and the frog they catch looks like a champ. Maybe Billy's dad will be at the big event. Grandpa gives some sage advice on how to talk to a frog, and on the big day, Billy coaxes that frog into a huge, terrific, winning jump. His dad doesn't come, so the day isn't perfect. But as he's taking his winning frog back to the pond, Billy realizes things are pretty good anyway. Maybe his dad will come next year.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Huckleberry Finn has nothing on Billy when it comes to frog-jumping contests. Enticed by the grand prize of two tickets to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, Billy plans to catch a whopper of a frog and enter it in the school contest. Best of all, Dad, who no longer lives with Billy and his mom, has promised to come over and help. Billy fights off tears when his unreliable dad just never shows up. But Mom, Grandma and Grandpa make sure Billy has a frog adventure to remember. Bunting's (Smoky Night; Summer Wheels) easy-flowing dialogue and realistic situations give this picture book/chapter book both depth and heart. She leads readers to experience disappointment, excitement and joy right along with Billy as he moves through a particularly emotional day. The story, broken into nine brief chapters, is generously illustrated with Medlock's (Extra Innings: Baseball Poems) slightly impressionistic oil paintings, which feature familiar scenes of home and classroom as well as an arresting sequence showing Billy and Mom's nocturnal trip to the frog pond. The combination of ample art and plentiful dollops of text is just right for early- and beginning readers, especially those who may enjoy an alternative to the many paperback series aimed at them. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-In a sensitive and honest story, Bunting captures the heartache of a child whose parent doesn't follow through on a promised excursion. Billy lives with his mother and grandparents, but his father has arranged to take him to catch a frog for his class' frog-jumping competition. When his father fails to show up and the expedition is threatened, his understanding mom and grandparents step in and help the boy learn that his life is really "very good the way it is," although his dad's presence would have enhanced the occasion. The author does an excellent job of presenting a realistic situation and its resolution in straightforward yet eloquent prose. Medlock's bright oil illustrations appear on almost every page, adroitly mirroring the child's emotions and the contest events. This is an early chapter book, but its subject matter will appeal to slightly older readers as well.
Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152770828
• ISBN-13: 978-0152770822
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,899,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Frog, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Some Frog! (Hardcover)

This is a very real to life story in which a boy waits for hisfather to come to help him catch a frog for a big jumping contest atschool. As he waits for his father to come home it gets later and later until he knows that his father is not coming. So after dinner his mother takes him down to the pond to catch a frog for his class race. The mother and the boy end up catching the winning frog. The whole time at school the boy is watching for his father to come to school to see him race his frog. However the father never does show up for the race. At the end of the story the young boy figures out that his father is probably no longer part of their family picture. Great story for children 8-10 years old, who are having a difficult time adjusting to a parent who has left the family or dealing with separation/divorce.