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A Froggy Fable
 | A Froggy Fable John Lechner Date: 03 March, 2005 — $10.19 — Book Rating: |
A frog enjoys his idyllic pond life until things change. Outside the
realm of his control are squawking jays, a family of otters and a fallen
tree. Yet when circumstance carries him far from the pond, he longs to
see his home again. Like the fable about the man who doesn't
appreciate his tiny house until he takes in his whole family and
barnyard, the frog learns to appreciate what he has after it is gone.
He bravely takes the journey back, which yields more lessons in coping
with moved cheese.
Soft watercolor and ink illustrations use minimal lines and colors to
match the simplicity of the text. Cool tones in the first half of the
book warm up as the frog's attitude shifts. Occasionally the text is
so restrained it becomes flat, and the use of ellipses instead of
crafted transitions is overemployed. These minimal flaws also make the
book a great transition between picture books and read-alouds for
beginning readers, with only a few longer words to stumble over.
The message is delivered with charm, and the reassuring tale becomes a
bibliotheraputic jumping off point for parents to talk about life's
only constant. A solid first book from author/illustrator/animator
Lechner, recommended for larger collections and one on one read-alouds.
