Carl the Frog by David Weiss, illustrated by Pete Whitehead Ages 4+ 40 pages Worthwhile Books March 2009 Hardcover     One day, a little tadpole grows into a very hungry frog named Carl. A friendly gnat that comes by suggests that Carl might want to stretch his tongue - it looks too short. However, when Carl finally stretches his tongue – THAWOOLP! - he eats the foolish gnat. Carl finds that while he is no longer hungry, he has a new problem. Having eaten his only friend, he is lonely. A nice horsefly offers to play cards with him, provided Carl promises not to eat him. But Carl soon grows hungry again, and before he knows it, his tongue shoots out – and that is the end of the horsefly. Carl feels worse than ever. A timid minnow who swims by becomes Carl’s next friend and, inevitably, his next victim. A kingfisher that has been watching Carl declares that he looks delicious, and now it’s Carl’s turn to scramble so as to not be eaten! To his surprise, his mouth plops open during his escape, and his friends the gnat, the horsefly, and the minnow come tumbling out, unharmed. Finally, Carl realizes that he would rather remain hungry than eat his friends. If you ever run into a very hungry frog surrounded by many bugs, that’s probably Carl. This is an odd and possibly disturbing story for young children. Even children old enough to grasp the concept of animals eating other animals might still struggle with the notion of Carl systematically dining on his friends. The resolution to the story is not satisfying either. Are Carl’s only options either remaining eternally hungry or eating the only critters willing to befriend him? Neither the plot nor its resolution felt particularly child-friendly, but the colorful and energetic illustrations by Pete Whitehead are a big plus.     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2009 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)