Bertha and the Frog Choir

Gr 1–3—This quirky Swiss import begins as a story about achieving dreams and reaching goals. The theme changes midway and becomes more about finding and valuing one's talents. Bertha the frog has a voice like a moose, and although Lucy's is beautiful, she is too small to join the frog choir. They cook up a plan for Lucy to hide inside Bertha's mouth and sing for the audition. The choir leader, Amadeus, falls for the deception. He abruptly discovers the truth on the day of the frog prince's wedding. Bertha has an outburst and tells Lucy she will one day be big enough to sing without her. Amadeus makes both of them happy by pointing out Bertha's true talent and telling her how important she is to the success of the wedding day through her excellent cooking skills. Lucy is allowed to sing in the choir. Although everything ends well, the story arc feels forced. There are no consequences for Bertha and Lucy's deception, which is a huge missed opportunity and condones their "hoax." The illustrations are done in watercolor and pencil and add a wispy feel to this uninspiring picture book. A better choice for having the persistence to follow one's dreams is Holly Keller's Pearl's New Skates (HarperCollins, 2005).—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY