Pictures: Let's get one thing straight. I chose this book. There's a certain feel to the illustrations that remind me of 'Rosie's Walk' and what I associate with my childhood. In a way some of the humour in the pictures also pay homage to Pat Hutchinson's book, but there are a lot more words in this book. Apart from the colour scheme the pictures and creatures really are William Bee's own. There is a lot of detail in each illustration, so that the non reading child can infer a lot from context and find something new in them each time. Text: The words tell the story of Mrs Collywobbles and her pet frog. The Amazon synopsis practically tells it all, but basically each character is introduced and has their own particular rhyme and then they come to a sudden and surprising end. Rereadability: So all in all given the little rhymes which could often be heard around the house this holiday (it wasn't always the bubba) and the intricate illustrations, there is a lot to get out of this book. The three year old test: I'm not sure if the nightmares started after this book or before... OK I'm joking, but let's make this clear, for the child who is starting to understand fear and becoming scared of things, this is not the best BEDTIME read. At every other part of the day it's perfect. And to be absolutely sure you get this, the reason I chose this was because the ending made me laugh out loud. There is no writing down to the three year olds and it's rather irreverent fun. Beware of the Frog is definitely not one of my favorite children's books that I have read. When I first picked it up I was intrigued by the bright, bold illustrations, but I thought that the story fell short. This books is about a little old woman who lives on the edge of the "big, dark, scary wood." The only thing that protects her from straggling, dangerous strangers is her pet the frog. As the story moves along we meet some of these scary strangers who all try to get past the frog. Each time the frog gobbles them up. Finally at the end of the story, the frog convinces the little old woman to give him a kiss. But something strange happens. Your mind automatically goes to the traditional frog turns into a prince theme. However in this story, when the little old woman kisses the frog, SHE becomes a frog too! She is very upset about being turned into a frog and so she then gobbles up the other frog. As I was reading this book I could not come up with a purpose. Why was this story written? And what is it even supposed to mean. I realize that not all children's books have a moral or a lesson, but I could not even come up with a main theme. Frogs gobbling up people/things that they do not like? Needless to say, I was not a fan of this book!
What do You think about Beware Of The Frog (2008)?
Very cute. My son laughed through the whole thing! The ending was priceless :)
—tnt
The end was rather shocking... I liked the bold illustrations.
—Brit
What a cute, funny, clever book! My grandkids enjoyed this!
—bbailey0
Funny with a surprise ending. Daphne really liked it.
—gloryB
