BEWARE OF THE FROG

Joining the rapidly swelling ranks of seemingly innocuous tales for younglings in which main characters are suddenly killed off, this charming outing stars sweet little old Mrs. Collywobbles and the small attack frog that guards her doorstep. The doorstep needs guarding too, as out of the adjacent “big, dark, scary wood” shamble a Greedy Goblin (“Nickerty-noo, nickerty-noo, / if I get a chance / I’ll steal from you…”), a Smelly Troll and a Giant Hungry Ogre in succession. All meet the same fate, depicted on spreads with the single word “GOBBLE” and a view of the frog with various disconnected body parts hanging out of its mouth. Mrs. Collywobbles rewards the frog with a transformative kiss—which sets the stage for a final bit of snacking. Set in a mottled, woodsy landscape filled with stylized flowers and leaves, and populated with creatures more ugly than scary-looking, the episode fits neatly among the equally unsettling likes of Jeanne Willis’s Tadpole’s Promise (2005), illustrated by Tony Ross, and Kara LaReau’s Ugly Fish (2006), illustrated by Scott Magoon. (Picture book. 6-8)