Animal Lives The Frog Kf SB

This is one in a series of books for young children that chronicles the lives of familiar animals. Illustrations by Bert Kitchen are accompanied by a lyrical text for parents to read with their children. This book explores the life of the frog. Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Grade 2-4-An exploration of the life cycles of two animals, told in story format. The lyrical narratives have somewhat sophisticated language, which makes these titles inaccessible to newly independent readers, and their British origin is evident as both books focus on the European species. While the lives of these creatures are basically the same, American readers may be misled by certain statements. For example, one of the frog's major predators listed is the hedgehog, which is not found in the U.S. The fact that the featured animals are European is only found in the fact pages at the back of the books, and young readers might end up with some erroneous information. Of the two, The Rabbit is slightly more successful because it is more general. Full-page, striking illustrations in muted colors accompany the texts. Arwen Marshall, formerly at New York Public Library Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Kirkus Reviews Seldom has a common frog looked so regal, outside of a fairy tale, as in this gloriously illustrated life cycle. Describing the common European frog in rich detail, the author records how the frog stalks his first meal, a pink juicy worm, after the winter hibernation: ÒHe bides his time, toes twitching. Then he pounces, seizing the wriggling prey in his wide mouth. He scrapes off the dirt with delicate fingers before gulping it down whole.Ó The frog finds other creatures to munch on the way to the pond, and narrowly misses becoming a meal for a hedgehog. At the pond, he mates, and then the text and illustrations describe the process by which the tiny jelly-like eggs hatch into tadpoles and develop into froglets and finally frogs. Kitchen's cutaway pond paintings are especially compelling as they show the frogs above and below the surface of the pond. Readers in the US, more familiar with the common green leopard frog, will find many similar elements in the life cycle of this golden bronze neighbor, Rana temporaria. Part of the Animal Lives series by Kingfisher, including The Rabbit (not reviewed). The Rabbit which focuses on a European rabbit, rather than the familiar cottontail of the US. These are handsome, informative, inexpensive titles with outstanding illustrations. (frog facts, Web sites and organizations for more information, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10) -- Copyright å© 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.