cover image Frog Odyssey

Frog Odyssey

Juliet Snape, Snape. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $14 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-671-74741-1

The displacement of animals by encroaching civilization leads a community of frogs to seek new surroundings when their old home, a junk-filled pool on the edge of a land fill, disappears. Carrying their tadpoles in a jar and wielding a brass bedpost, the unusual entourage makes its way into the city, where new dangers lurk. This hardy band is not deterred, however--not even by a marauding cat, sewer rats and ``streets full of tramping feet.'' When their self-appointed scout finally spies a picture-perfect pond in the middle of a verdant park, the frogs' problems are solved. The ecological issues that form the underpinning for this quirky story are nicely balanced by the fantastical elements of the frogs' march (a journey that may remind kids of the even more fantastical frog excursion in David Wiesner's Tuesday ). The realistic illustrations' muted palette and, in particular, frequently skewed perspectives lend the proceedings a slightly surreal air. With a minimum of text--generally two to three lines per page--the multiple images on several pages briskly propel the action. Ages 3-7. (June)