Review by New York Times Review
A pair of stories involve little frogs and the security that family brings. POKY puppies may take the prize in the charm category in Picture Book Land, but the natural spring in a young frog's step has its own special appeal for newly mobile toddlers. With growing confidence in their ability to go where they please, 2- and 3-year-olds begin their first, tentative experiments in independent exploration, suddenly deciding one day to check out the far side of the playground, for example - though typically not before first making sure that Mom or Dad is keeping a weather eye on their adventure. The classic readaloud inspired by this developmental milestone remains Margaret Wise Brown's rhapsodic, sly "Runaway Bunny," in which a mother rabbit's unconditional love provides all the safety net her child needs to step out into the world. While Brown homes in on the child's conflicting urges for security and freedom, Lauren Thompson in "Leap Back Home to Me" offers a less emotionally nuanced but nonetheless warmly reassuring rhyme which, with the buoyant lilt of a song lyric, reaffirms a mother frog's love for her leapfrogging lad. Each time he hops to greater heights, his mother urges the wayfarer to "leap frog back to me!" With a mom like this, being green may be easy after all. Matthew Cordell's nimble line-and-watercolor illustrations are loose-limbed, unaffected and suitably silly. The reader learns a bit more about real frogs in "999 Tadpoles," a Japanese import aimed at a slightly older reader with a longer attention span, increased appetite for narrative and deepening curiosity about the world, including its dangers. In this tall tale with naturalistic overtones, a sprawling frog family outgrows its pond and sets out in search of more spacious quarters. Along the way, they meet a big snake ("'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!' said Mother. 'Before the snake wakes up'") and a hungry hawk, which - not to give away too much of the helter-skelter plot line - takes a more than passing interest in them. What's fascinating for an American reader is, first, how utterly matter-of-fact, in a book intended for preschoolers, Ken Kimura is about predation in the wild ("Then the hawk swooped down . . . and grabbed Father!"); and second, how adeptly both he and the illustrator, Yasunari Murakami, incorporate the few truly scary parts of their tale within a larger framework that leaves ample room for tongue-in-cheek dialogue and a happy ending. Might it be that Japanese children learn at an earlier age than ours do to accept nature's terrible potential as one more aspect of the world in which they live? As the news reports that followed the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami would strongly suggest (grade-school students there had all been routinely prepped with emergency drills): it might indeed. American picture book authors and publishers are far more inclined to "protect" young children from all manner of unpleasantness. Here, instead, we have a book whose spirited narrative cracks open a wider, more satisfying view. Murakami's impish, toy-bright illustrations look - almost - as if a talented 4-year-old might have painted them. In contrast to Hello Kitty-style Japanese Neo-Pop, they have a distinctly, even stubbornly, handmade feel. Besides setting the stage for outlandish fun, the message they convey is unmistakable: Nothing in these pages is not for children. The result is an uncommon picture book designed not only to entertain young people but also to give them their due. In "999 Tadpoles," a sprawling frog family outgrows its pond and sets off in search of more spacious quarters. Leonard S. Marcus's latest project is an annotated edition of "The Phantom Tollbooth," which will be published in October.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 19, 2011]
Review by Booklist Review
In a short, rhymed text, a frog mother tells her young frog to leap from the lily pad: Leap frog over the ladybug. / Leap frog over the bee. / Leap frog over the tickly clover, / then leap back home to me! Each set of leaps becomes more adventuresome, with the young frog leaping over mountains, the sea, the sun, and ultimately the farthest stars, returning each time to a comforting activity (book sharing, coloring, hugs) with mother. Double-page spreads of simple cartoon illustrations in muted colors show the zany leaps of the bug-eyed frog as it whizzes through the air. The simplicity of the illustrations, the brevity and repetition of the lively text, and the accompanying jumping sounds ( SPROING! ) make this a natural for group sharing. Check out Steve Breen's Stick (2007), also about a frog having an adventure away from the lily pad.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sweet and simple, lively and expressive, this picture book provides a loving template for parents who want to encourage their children to explore an ever-widening world without losing their connection to home and family. A wise mother frog encourages her child to leap away in baby steps-"Leap frog over the ladybug./ Leap frog over the bee./ Leap frog over the tickly clover,/ then leap back home to me!" Cordell's (Trouble Gum) marvelous pen and ink with watercolor illustrations showcase the small frog's increasing confidence and joy in its independence (at one point, it rockets directly toward readers with a "wheeeee!"), while its mother patiently provides crayons, food, books, and love to welcome it back home. The mother's refrain ("then leap back home to me!") changes at the end, after the frog has leapt over mountains and even into outer space ("Leap frog as high as you please.... when you leap home, here I'll be"). Thompson (the Little Quack series) offers unconditional reassurance that, even as children leapfrog into their adult lives, nothing will sever a parent's love. Ages 2-6. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-In bouncy rhymes, a mother frog encourages her child to leap out into the world and explore in increasingly wider circles. She assures him that no matter how far he goes, she will always be waiting for him when he returns. And there she is-on a lily pad, with dinner or crayons, stories or a hug. The watercolor and ink illustrations feature a goofily exuberant and bug-eyed frog flying, flipping, and hurdling across beasts, bugs, flowers, water, hilltops, mountains, clouds, and even the sun and stars. The uncluttered pictures, featuring one line per page, keep the focus on the young frog as he explodes across the spreads-against a cool blue sky, a rainbow, and finally a purplish starscape. The author/illustrator team brings a light touch to a weighty subject.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A young frog explores the wonders of his world in Thompson's parent-centered tale. Although Junior seeks out the farthest stars, he always returns home, knowing that no matter how far he explores, his mother will always be there waiting for him. There's some spark to the rhymes, and Cordell's illustrations don't take themselves too seriously; otherwise, it's all just reassurance for moms. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 2-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
