Maggi and Milo

PreS-Gr 1—Bespectacled, pigtailed Maggi and her border collie, Milo, are best friends. A package from the girl's grandmother containing a book about frogs and some blue polka-dotted rubber boots inspires their frog-hunting adventure. A careful look at Maggi's bedroom reveals froggy slippers, a toy frog, and several frog drawings, which help to explain the mysterious present. "I am frog hunter…and he is Milo!" she shouts as they run to the pond, eager for the hunt. After waiting "a million minutes" for some action, she becomes bored, and her sidekick wanders off. A panicked search for the wayward pooch finds him-and a frog-in the pond. As Milo continues to forge in the muck and locate more and more frogs, the inventive girl names them "Alexander…Benjamin…Cooper…Daniel…." At the end of the day, "Side by side, they sat on the edge of the world, just listening to the frogs say good night." The digitally created illustrations are bright and appealing, especially those of the lovable black-and-white pup, who is almost twice Maggi's size. Pair this story with Vivian French's Growing Frogs (Candlewick, 2000) for a "ribbeting" read-aloud.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools