Children's books and book reviews - reading resource for kids, teachers, librarians, parents





*Bee Frog* by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth
 
Also by Martin Waddell:

Farmer Duck with Audio (Candlewick Storybook Audio)
Bee Frog
by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth
Ages 3-7 32 pages Candlewick February 2007 Hardcover    

Bee Frog doesn’t really want to be a frog. She’d much rather be a dragon: a fierce, scary dragon. But no one in her family seems to care that she has turned into a dragon - Mom and Dad Frog are too busy, and Grandma Frog is fast asleep. Since no one notices her newfound fierceness, Bee decides she’ll be better off on her own. Off she hops, to a “rock surrounded by reeds” where she can be a dragon – all by herself.

But what do you know? It turns out that dragons get lonely when they’re all by themselves, just like frogs do. So when Bee’s parents come searching, Bee the dragon might just be ready to be herself again – but only after one last little surprise.

The book, based on author Martin Waddell’s own “six-year-old tantrum,” holds universal appeal. Between busy parents and swarms of siblings, every child has felt unseen at some point. Since Bee Frog doesn’t get very far before her parents come after her, young children will also find the story reassuring.

Barbara Firth’s gentle watercolor illustrations make Bee’s family and home warm and inviting. Martin Waddell uses simple, clear language to keep the pace of the story interesting to younger readers.

Waddell and Firth have teamed up before, to some acclaim: The Little Bear Series (Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?; Sleep Tight, Little Bear; Let’s Go Home, Little Bear), The Park in The Dark, and Tom Rabbit, among others. While not as captivating as the Little Bear stories, their latest offering lives up to expectations.



click here to browse children's board book reviews
click here to browse children's picture book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young adult book reviews
click here to browse parenting book reviews
 
web reviews
  Melissa McLaughlin/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book  






For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)