Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Starred Review As if frogs themselves weren't sufficient draws, this picture book offers vibrant, attention-­getting illustrations that hop off pages. Dozens of these intriguing amphibians are portrayed in their amazing array of natural colors, boldly highlighted against crisp, white backgrounds. Some are rendered half life-size, others full, including a meowing night frog about the size of a ladybug and an African Goliath bullfrog that spills over the edge of its page. Each gorgeous specimen is labeled, and the accompanying text covers basic information about environments, food, mating rituals, egg to tadpole to frog metamorphosis, oddities and extremes, defense systems, and endangered and extinct statuses. A culminating chart lists the critters by their often wonderful names (the pied warty frog and crucifix toad are just a few striking examples), corresponding page number, metric body length, diet, and range. A list of sources for further information is also included. The font is on the small side and might initially frustrate beginning readers, but the awesome torn- and cut-paper collages should spark curiosity and encourage further perusal. This is an attractive addition to the frog canon, a crowd-pleasing, perpetually popular subject, from the reliably excellent team of Jenkins and Page (see the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? 2003).

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Jenkins and Page explain the basic biology of frogs, using a well-chosen collection of both representative and unique species. On each double-page spread, a key topic (anatomy, behavior, reproduction, etc.) is introduced in a brief, informative paragraph. Then a nicely designed balance of colorful, detailed cut-paper illustrations and friendly text expands on the concept. An appended table lists facts and figures for each species presented, including size, diet, and habitat. Reading list, websites.

Kirkus Reviews

A prolific author/illustrator couple explores the world of frogs.Once again, Jenkins and Page prove their ability to choose interesting examples, write short, child-friendly explanations, and portray salient features of animals with deftly cut and torn paper images set on white paper. They introduce frogs as "creatures of two worlds," water and land. The next spread displays half-sized images of 10 of the more than 5,500 frog species currently identified, showing an adult human hand in comparison. In two subsequent spreads, they highlight distinguishing characteristics of frogs as well as of the subset that are called toads, and they define the three major groups of amphibians: frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians. They show development from egg through tadpole to adult. Then come examples of remarkable behaviors, drawn from varied environments around the world. These behaviors include adaptations for attracting a mate, caring (or not caring) for eggs, habitat, diet, and defenses. Finally, in a spread on threats, they compare frogs to a "canary in a coal mine" (explaining the reference). A concluding table lists all 30 frogs shown, with body length, diet, and range and acts as an index by indicating page numbers where these frogs can be found. (Helpfully and fairly unusually, for a picture book, there are numbers on every spread.) The backmatter also includes a good list of other books for young readers as well as internet sources.Another appealing title in a long series of demonstrations of nature's wonders. (Informational picture book. 4-9)