Frog in Winter

by Max Velthuijs

Book Overview

Frog "is astonished, one morning, to find the world white and the river frozen. Though Duck tries to teach him to skate and Hare lauds the virtues of jogging, Frog continues to shiver. Still, his sympathetic friends build Frog a fire, tuck him into bed, and ply him with hot soup; and he does make it through to spring. The simple, gracefully told story is nicely extended in the award-winning Dutch artist's beautifully designed compositions....Charming."--Kirkus...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688123066
• ISBN13: 9780688123062
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.2" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A very good children's book

When winter comes, frog finds that he is ill-adapted to the cold. Frog's friends, seeing his difficulty, rally around him, and help him through his time of troubles. I liked this book, the illustrations are well done and quite humorous, and the storyline is entertaining. I would have hoped for a little more educational value for this book, but my first-grader loves it. The words push him a little, which is good, and the fact he enjoys it so much shows him just how much fun reading is. By the way, he selected this book as his prize for a reading trial at school, he liked it that much.

A Winter's Tale

Max Velthuijs' bold colors and serene compositions give his books an appealing simplicity. Here, Frog finds that it's hard being an amphibian in the winter, especially when compared to his non-amphibian friends, Duck, Pig, and Hare. It's a nice vehicle for teaching animal types, and the pictures are compelling; however, the last half of the story has a strangely dissonant tone. I was expecting Frog to somehow adapt to the cold; instead, he winds up half-frozen while looking for wood. His animal friends rescue him: Hare collects fire wood, Pig cools soup and knits a sweater, and Duck cheers him up. However, Frog looks "bravely" tolerant when he gets well and ventures into the snow again. Then Spring comes, Frog is a happy amphibian again, and the story ends with the animals saying how glad they are that Frog is back. It's not a really satisfying conclusion; it feels like Velthuijs just patched it on at the last minute. Still, this is a simple introduction to winter and the illustrations by the award winning Velthuijs are delightful.

A very good children's book.

When winter comes, frog finds that he is ill-adapted to the cold. Frog's friends, seeing his difficulty, rally around him, and help him through his time of troubles.I liked this book, the illustrations are well done and quite humorous, and the storyline is entertaining. I would have hoped for a little more educational value for this book, but my first-grader loves it. The words push him a little, which is good, and the fact he enjoys it so much shows him just how much fun reading is. By the way, he selected this book as his prize for a reading trial at school, he liked it that much.