The Frog House
By Mark Taylor
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I picked up The Frog House while exiting my local library one afternoon. It was a whimsical selection, like the candy bar or pack of gum by the grocery store conveyer belt. I liked the look of the book, the style of illustration – folk art collage by Barbara Garrison – and the font used for the title, and scooped it up on my way to be “rung up” (normally, you do not have to pay for books at the library and thus the term rung up would not apply to most. My wife and I, however, have a terrible time getting the books our girl ends up loving the most back on time. As a result, we often incur sizable fees. Thank goodness the library offers installment payment plans!)
The story of The Frog House is as whimsical as the method in which this cute book came into my home. A small frog finds his way into a hollowed out, shiny red, wooden apple which has been hung in a tree as a birdhouse, moves in his belongings and makes it his own domain. Our frog politely fends off numerous animal visitors, each time explaining that the apple in the tree is a frog house after all, and not a home for birds, squirrels and what-have-you. It is quite silly and adorable – perfect summer reading for any young toddler through 8-year old child.
One Duck Stuck
By Phyllis Root
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A quirky little counting book that involves two handfuls of woodland creatures, from moose to snails, trying to help one poor duck who is stuck in the muck of the swamp. Phyllis Root’s text has a very pleasing rhythm as it is spoken aloud and will delight any young child with witty word-combinations such as reedy, weedy and squishy, fishy mixed with silly word-sounds like splish, sploosh, pleep and zing. One Duck Stuck is one of those staple books in a collection. It’s not the prettiest, most intricately illustrated or most thought provoking book but what One Duck Stuck is, is a sturdy read that will help teach counting, numbers, animal sounds and identification. Not every book on the shelf should be Adele & Simon or John, Paul, George & Ben – we all need some One Duck Stuck-types lying around for light, easy kiddie reading.
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