NONFICTION

How Does a Tadpole Grow?: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by Eric Carle (text) & illus. by Eric Carle
Random. May 2022. 10p. Board $4.99. ISBN 9780593386255.
COPY ISBN
Toddler-PreS–The Very Hungry Caterpillar wants to know how a tadpole grows, and this perfect little board book sets about to explain it in typical Carle fashion: “The eggs are surrounded by a squishy gel. After about two weeks, the eggs are ready to hatch.” The tadpoles, in glowing green translucent tissue paper, seem ready to squiggle off the page, but the text explains how they breathe and then how, two months later, back legs emerge. All of this is fairly exciting stuff, against the crisp white backgrounds that are a hallmark of the series. Front legs, check; lungs, check; tail falls off, frogs!
VERDICT Most science board books overwhelm or understate. This one is just right.
Reviewed by Kimberly Olson Fakih , May 27, 2022

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