Frog Meets Dog

March 1, 2020

K-Gr 2-Dog really wants to play with Frog, Frog, and Frog, but they are not interested. Dog can't seem to do anything the Frogs like to do-like hop! Plus, Dog's playing tends to end in some sort of accidental mayhem, like fending off a swarm of angry bees. But will the Frog trio change their minds when Dog steps in to save them from scary Bear? This accessible chapter book, styled in three short stories, will be of interest to most young readers. The text utilizes humor, repetition, and rhyming to build fluency. Trasler's cartoon-like illustrations are bright and expressive. VERDICT This early reader would be an appropriate selection for any new reader who delights in unlikely friendship stories and depictions of physical comedy.-Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2020
An early reader for the earliest of readers. Trasler's cartoon illustrations heighten the humor of her spare text, which has ample rhymes and assonance to support new decoders. While the title indicates just one frog, readers see that a trio of frogs (each evidently named Frog) is leery when Dog arrives on the scene, eager to play. Dog tries to befriend them, saying, "Hi. / Hi. / Hi," to each one in turn in speech-balloon text. The illustrations show amphibious rebuffs, and then Dog, defeated, says, "SIGH." The intrepid pup then tries to "Hop / Hop / Hop" like the frogs, but the result is a "FLOP." An attempt to emulate the frogs as they "Leap / Leap / Leap" ends with a plunge into a "DEEP" pond. An effort to "Jump / Jump / Jump" results in a "THUMP" on a paper-wasp nest. "Go. / Go. / Go," say the newly stung frogs. "Oh," says Dog, slinking off, also bearing signs of several wasp stings. Frog, Frog, and Frog soon rue their words, however, when Bear arrives--whereupon Dog saves them by hurling the paper-wasp nest at Bear. "Ow! / Ow! / Ow!" yells Bear. "WOW!" say the frogs, who now welcome Dog to play with them and help their canine rescuer find success in keeping up with them. Step-by-step backmatter drawing instructions invite readers to draw the frogs, inviting an added layer of engagement with the book. Reader, meet Frogs and Dog--you won't be sorry. (Early reader. 5-7)

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March 1, 2020
Preschool-G This fun riff on boy meets girl; boy loses girl involves a dog trying to befriend a trio of frogs, who aren't interested. When the frogs hop, dog flops. When they leap, he leaps?deep into a pond. When they jump, his head thumps smack into a branch holding a hornet's nest. The frogs reject dog, but then, in a great comic sequence, a bear appears, running rampant across the pages. Dog uses his jump-thump move to release more hornets, who drive the bear away, thus winning the frogs' friendship. Text appears as narration, as onomatopoeic sound effects, and in word bubbles for dialogue. Many elements combine to make this engaging for early readers: rhyming text, repetition, relatable themes of friendship and resourcefulness, and full-color illustrations filled with humorous details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)