Frogs!: Strange and Wonderful

by Laurence Pringle, Meryl Learnihan Henderson (Illustrator)

Overview

Are kids going to love this book? Is a frog waterproof? The latest title in the popular Strange and Wonderful series delivers the awe-inspiring variety of frogs, the world's hoppiest amphibians.

Did you know that the Goliath frog is more than a foot long? Or that the tiny gold frog could sit on a dime?  Some frogs have camouflage. Others wear bold colors warning their enemies that they are poisonous. Some frogs leap, others hop, one is a runner, and a few glide from tree to tree with their big, webbed hands and feet! Surprising facts and beautiful, realistic nature illustrations come together in this celebration of one of nature's most fascinating marvels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590783719
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	04/01/2012
Series:	Strange and Wonderful
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,060,975
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Laurence Pringle has written more than one hundred books for children and teenagers, many of them award-winning science titles. Internationally, his books have sold more than three million copies. He and his family live in West Nyack, New York. Visit laurencepringle.com.
Meryl Henderson has illustrated a number of books for children. She is a regular contributor to Highlights for Children. She lives in Hunter, New York. Visit merylsart.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ "Pringle truly delivers with his latest...(b)udding herpetologists will snap this one up faster than a frog can catch a fly." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Pringle recognizes what will intrigue children as well as what they need to know to understand the subject... A must-have addition to science collections." —Booklist

"Pringle's readable text explores the wide range of shapes, sizes, colorations, habits and habitats of these elusive, intriguing creatures...Henderson's lovely, realistic illustrations keep careful step with the text. A handsome, informative look into the unexpectedly diverse world of frogs." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 4–6—Pringle's readable text explores the wide range of shapes, sizes, colorations, habits, and habitats of these elusive, intriguing creatures. He includes flying frogs, marsupial frogs, and the brilliantly colored poison frogs that can kill predators with their toxins. Children learn about frogs that lay their eggs in ponds and puddles and those that nurture their tadpoles in their mouths until the froglets are fully developed. Henderson's lovely, realistic illustrations keep careful step with the text, showing the amphibians in all their variety and even providing a double-page "hide-and-seek" that emphasizes their skill at camouflage. The tiny Gold frog and the Cuban frog, tied for smallest in the Guinness Book of Froggy Records, have been supplanted by an even more minuscule species (Paedophyrne amauensis), newly discovered after this book went to press. Pringle ends with a discussion of the dangers frogs face from loss of habitat, including chemically induced deformities and new diseases ravaging their populations. An author's note is a revelation of his own affection for these creatures and his personal efforts to give them a fighting chance. A list of conservation organizations is included. Comparable in difficulty to Nic Bishop's attractive Frogs (Scholastic, 2008) and Mark Moffett's Face to Face with Frogs (National Geographic, 2008), and much simpler than Sandra Markle's intriguing The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs (Millbrook, 2011) or Pamela Turner's engaging The Frog Scientist (Houghton Harcourt, 2009), this is a handsome, informative look into the unexpectedly diverse world of frogs.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Science writer Pringle truly delivers with his latest, a fascinating look at the similarities and differences among the many and varied species of frogs. Think that all frogs jump on the ground, are green and leave their eggs/tadpoles to fend for themselves? Well, this text will set readers straight. The Reinwardt's flying frog glides between trees, the mantella and poison frogs come in all the colors of the rainbow and one can guess what makes the marsupial frog stand out. Nothing if not thorough, this covers just about everything one would want to know about frogs. Camouflage, mating, development, coloring, size, locomotion, how and what they eat and how and why they make sounds are just some of the topics. The last few pages deal with humans and the ways they affect frog populations and habitats. While Pringle presents large paragraphs of information on each page, he perfectly measures out each fact, balancing it with some interesting tidbit sure to fascinate and help kids remember the details that are presented. Henderson's detailed, realistic watercolors match the text, showing the great diversity among the many species of frogs. Insets accompany much of her full-spread artwork, allowing her to depict the many variations that exist. Budding herpetologists will snap this one up faster than a frog can catch a fly. (author's note, answer key, list of resources for more information) (Nonfiction. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews