There's a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me [Paperback]

Loreen Leedy (Author), Pat Street (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me. An amusing and informative collection of animal sayings.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6-Like a moth to a flame, readers will be drawn to this entertaining book. The sayings are loosely grouped by types of animals-domestic, barnyard, winged, etc.-and each adage is accompanied by a short definition. For example, "It's raining cats and dogs. It's raining hard." Numerous sayings are scattered over each spread and illustrated with small, full-color pictures in a variety of styles. While this format might seem overwhelming at first glance, children will pore over the pages. The collaboration of text and art makes the volume lively and humorous. The index is arranged by animal rather than by adage. This title is perfect for anyone who wonders about the meaning of everyday expressions, and it makes a good language reference tool. Readers might come to this book for a specific saying, but will find themselves captivated by the engaging text and great illustrations.
Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 2-5. This book is just ducky! It's the cat's pajamas! In fact, it's more fun than a barrel of monkeys! These enthusiastic endorsements are among the many animal expressions defined in this unusual collection that maximizes the humor of sayings that are common to English usage but nonsensical if taken literally. And take them literally Leedy does in her hilarious art. A "social butterfly" wears a party hat and has a balloon; a "clotheshorse" is a handsome stallion, in a top hat and men's shoes, shown tying a tie. Even the page numbers are part of the fun; the number for page 24 appears in a 24-karat gold egg lying beneath the goose that laid it. This same bird is pictured with a thought bubble in which she imagines herself served on a silver platter: "My goose is cooked." The illustrations continuously work together in this way--up, down, and across the double-page spreads, which are loosely arranged by themes according to their animal subjects, from house pets to farm stock to wild critters. To round things out, each boldface figure of speech or phase is accompanied by a succinct explanation, making the book useful for classroom enrichment as well as great fun for personal enjoyment. Even children older than the target audience will agree that this is, indeed, a volume to crow about! Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823418197
• ISBN-13: 978-0823418190
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing and illustrating picture books for children for over twenty-five years. Though I majored in art in college, at the time I wasn't sure what kind of artist to be. Fortunately, it turned out that combining words and art to create picture books was a perfect career for me. Most of my books center around a particular topic such as fractions, the solar system, writing, and so on. The characters and story lines help put the subject matter into a meaningful context for young readers.

After growing up mostly in Delaware, I moved to central Florida a couple of decades ago, and currently live with my husband Andy on a three acre property with hawks, herons, and horses (the horses live next door.) We love the rustle of the pines in the breeze, the screeching of sandhill cranes flying overhead, and the chattering of many small birds that come and go as they please.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super, March 7, 2004

By 

ardnam "ardnam" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: There's a Frog in My Throat!: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me (Hardcover)

This is great book for exposing children to idioms. I first present some of the expressions to my students and have them try to explain them. Afterward, they have fun going back and finding the actual meaning. We usually do this around the time that we read Amelia Bedelia. The children illustrate an expression of their own choosing and the rest of us try to guess what the expression is. There are many extension activities to do along with this fun book. It is a great way to immerse chioldren inour language and get them excited about it. Lots of fun!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gateway to literacy through beastly fun!, February 11, 2003

By 

Richard Lederer (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's a Frog in My Throat!: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me (Hardcover)

In There's a Frog in My Throat, Loreen Leedy and Pat Street capture the animals that run and leap and swim and fly and crawl through our beastly English language. Loreen's sprightly illustrations and Pat's on-target choices of animal expressions and clever clustering encourage children to have fun with idioms -- a colorful leaping-off point for increased literacy.

Richard Lederer, co-author of THE BIGGEST BOOK OF ANIMAL RIDDLES

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most engaging picture books received this season, September 12, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There's a Frog in My Throat!: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me (Hardcover)

There's A Frog In My Throat! is one of the most engaging picture books received this season: an illustrated survey of zany animal sayings, from lucky and odd ducks to one-liners about birds, bears, and more. Expressions are explained and the artwork is simply gorgeous in this visually packed picturebook.