Gr 3-6-These eight original stories, each by a different author, are intended as an entertaining homage to frogs. Black-and-white line drawings echo the playfulness of the stories, which are all clever and lighthearted except for one. Stephen Menick's "Polliwog" is told in the voice of a Pharaoh of Egypt who desperately wants a son and when magicians give him one, a battle of magic begins with Moses. Longer and more serious than the others, the story seems oddly out of place in the collection and the frog detail is incidental. In contrast, the opening tale by Robert J. Harris, "Old Jim Croaker Jumps over the Moon," is genuine folktale fun about a frog that believes his own bragging. Other authors include Janet Taylor Lisle, Brian Jacques, Jane Yolen, David Lubar, and Bruce Coville. Springer adds the final tale titled "Ahem," which gives the phrase "a frog in the throat" a witty twist. In her foreword she declares her fascination for rooting for the underfrog, and the pond stage is set. Ribbit.-Julie Cummins, School Library Journal
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From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. The cool pun of the title is reflected in the eight mostly tongue-in-cheek and generally very funny stories featuring frogs. Robert J. Harris opens with a fine tall tale about a frog jumping over the moon; Janet Taylor Lisle writes a silly and sentimental story involving fake frog folk and a real and painful loss; and Bruce Coville spins out what might happen if one is descended from one of those frog prince guys. Stephen Menick's "Polliwog" is an intense and rather scary look at the biblical plagues of Egypt from the pharaoh's point of view, and Jane Yolen writes a very witty take on the Pied Piper theme, featuring a band called--Frog, Formerly Known as Prince. All are illustrated with Tony DiTerlizzi's manic line drawings to good effect. GraceAnne DeCandido
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