A low-key alternative to Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ Tadpole’s Promise (2005) and other more true-to-nature takes on the...
A sweet portrait of an interspecies friendship that survives major physical changes.
Having hatched side by side, tadpole and fish think they’re brothers—until the one develops a pair of legs, and the other acquires scales: “Gee whiz! I get to be a frog? / I’ll hop above and swim below!” / “But I’ll still be a fish. / Then how will we be bros?” It all turns out to be a nonissue, though, because rather than paddling off to meet others of their respective kinds, the two remain best buds. In the illustrations, simple, painted and combed cut-paper pond denizens, cardboard items and (for eggs) buttons have been laid over crumpled or otherwise textured backgrounds. Tapping triggers emphatic sound effects, as well as prompting the figures to twitch energetically, drift, spin or create clouds of paper-dot bubbles. Selecting the optional audio narration also highlights each word of the rhymed verses in succession. A monotonous, dispensable sung rendition of the entire text comes attached.
A low-key alternative to Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ Tadpole’s Promise (2005) and other more true-to-nature takes on the theme. (Requires iOS 7 and above.) (iPad storybook app. 5-7)Pub Date: March 13, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Valdas Barvainis
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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