Review by Booklist Review
In this attractive picture book, Markle uses a fictional story to supply nonfiction facts. It's a gloomy, rainy day, and Ally and her grandma feel blue. But an excuse to shake their doldrums arrives with some exciting news. Ally and her grandma reluctantly pull on boots and rain slickers and head out into the wet twilight streets to check it out, but all they see are the usual puddles, earthworms, clouds, and . . . toads! Yes, it's perfect weather for the semiannual toad migration, during which volunteers block off the road so toads can safely cross the pavement to the ponds on the other side. Ally joins in, and by the time she's done, she has a whole new outlook on rainy days: Toad weather makes me happy. Gonzalez's illustrations lovingly capture the wet reflections of galoshes, glowing street lights, and shadows in aqueous watercolor washes, and the rows of toads leaping through the grass are awfully cute. An author's note explains the real toad migration in Philadelphia.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It isn't just the young heroine of Markle's story who isn't thrilled about an excursion into the rain-her grandmother is just as grumpy about the idea when the girl's mother suggests it ("I vote we turn around and go home," says Grandma). But their perseverance is rewarded when they discover why the girl's mother dragged them outdoors: a mass migration of toads crossing a blocked-off street to lay eggs in nearby water. Helping the toads with their journey proves a bonding activity, and Gonzalez's pastel, pencil, and airbrush illustrations movingly highlight the softening attitudes of the girl and her grandmother as they get swept up in one of nature's small, unexpected miracles. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-It's a rainy March afternoon with end-of-the-day, gray light when Ally and her grandmother are surprised by Mama, who excitedly bursts through the door. Encouraged to join her in the "nearly-nighttime," the three move quickly through cold rain, searching the streets for a special surprise promised by Mama. A sound like tiny whistles gets louder and louder through the "drippy, slowing-down rain" before they turn the corner and spot a sign: TOAD DETOUR. For only a few weeks each spring in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA, the toads head to ponds and a nearby reservoir to mate and lay eggs. Photo-realistic illustrations in pastel and pencil on watercolor paper capture a unique experience on full pages and spreads as residents gather to assist the yearly migration of hundreds of toads moving with determination toward water. Faces express the wonder of walking through "the dripping, freshly-washed, after-the-toad-weather city," and an author's note clarifies the scientific details. VERDICT An appealing seasonal selection for most libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX © Copyright 2015. 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
One rainy March night, a girl and her mother and grandmother, donning slickers and rain boots, head to a busy city street to see something special: the yearly migration of toads in Philadelphia's Roxborough neighborhood to a reservoir to mate and lay eggs. Glistening, photorealistic mixed-media illustrations set the perfect milieu for this unique annual urban phenomenon. An author's note lends additional context. (c) Copyright 2015. 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
At the end of a walk in the rain on a gloomy March evening, Ally and her grandmother find the surprise Mama promised: a street full of migrating toads that need their help.Based on an actual annual occurrence in Philadelphia and other places around the world where toads have been cut off from their preferred egg-laying ponds by human roads, this appealing story celebrates a human-natural world connection. The first-person narration describes the spectacle of toad migration from a child's point of view but includes adult dialogue that weaves in information neatly. Markle builds suspense nicely through Grandma's reluctance to leave her warm, dry apartment and her lack of enthusiasm for the interesting sights offered by the rainy evening in the city: colorful umbrellas, water spouting from a manhole, an earthworm crawling across the sidewalk. Mama is enthusiastic about everything, and Grandma comes around when they reach the TOAD DETOUR sign. "Cool!" Ally exclaims. Grandma says, "You can say that again." And all three join other volunteers carrying toads across the street to the ponds they seek. Gonzalez's airbrushed pastel-and-colored-pencil illustrations show close-ups of the family and shimmery, wet nighttime scenes. Ally's polka-dot galoshes are a nice touch, helping readers find her in the dark. A fine addition to the sense-of-wonder shelf. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
