WHY THE FROG HAS BIG EYES

For novice readers, a simply told original fable illustrated with scenes of familiar, brightly colored animals with beady, staring eyes. Staring is what it’s all about, as Frog boasts that he can outstare any rival. He proves his claim on Horse and Rabbit, but meets his match in Fish—who, having no eyelids, holds Frog blinkless for so long that his eyes become large and fixed, as they are to this day. The moral’s made clear without being spelled out, and occasional contractions keep very short text from sounding wooden. Good preparation for the classic fables of Aesop. Oddly, the illustrator gets a thumbnail profile, but not the author. (Easy reader. 5-6)