Little Frog's Tadpole Trouble

PreS-Gr 2—Meet the Frog family: Mommy, Daddy, and Little Frog. It is just the three of them until Little Frog learns that he is about to become a big brother to nine tadpoles. When his siblings arrive, they can't jump, play the drums, or do much of anything except take up mom and dad's time and attention. His parents are too busy with the babies to read The Frog Prince at bedtime, or give goodnight kisses. Daddy reminds his son that one day soon the tadpoles will become frogs. Indeed, Little Frog discovers that as the tadpoles mature, they can be good playmates and do lots of fun things. Feeney uses whimsical line drawings with an ample amount of white space. The frogs' squarish features are amusing. Although the plot is not terribly strong, and the characters not as charming as the animals in Small Bunny's Blue Blanket (Knopf, 2012), parents will appreciate the positive message about welcoming new siblings into the family.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA