cover image Froggy Gets Dressed

Froggy Gets Dressed

Jonathan London. Viking Children's Books, $15.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-670-84249-0

Abundant onomatopoeia and dialogue betwen a young frog and his mother make this straightforward story a good choice for reading aloud. The rambunctious Froggy has more pressing pursuits on his mind than hibernating through the winter--``Snow! Snow! I want to play in the snow!'' Accompanied by kid-pleasing sound effects (zoop! zup! zat!) he excitedly dons cold-weather gear and ``flop flop flop''s outdoors. His mother, however, quickly points out that he has forgotten a few items; he returns to the house repeatedly for such essential apparel as pants, a shirt and a coat--and his long johns. (One memorable illustration has him tugging a red union suit up to his green chin.) The simplicity of London's tale is amusingly complemented by Remkiewicz's ( Greedy anna ; The Last Time I Saw Harris ) typically colorful, playful take on a frisky protagonist. Any youngster who has ever bundled up for wintertime play will surely laugh out loud over this addled amphibian's constant undressing and dressing. Ages 2-6. (Sept.)