Review by New York Times Review
A pair of stories involve little frogs and the security that family brings. POKY puppies may take the prize in the charm category in Picture Book Land, but the natural spring in a young frog's step has its own special appeal for newly mobile toddlers. With growing confidence in their ability to go where they please, 2- and 3-year-olds begin their first, tentative experiments in independent exploration, suddenly deciding one day to check out the far side of the playground, for example - though typically not before first making sure that Mom or Dad is keeping a weather eye on their adventure. The classic readaloud inspired by this developmental milestone remains Margaret Wise Brown's rhapsodic, sly "Runaway Bunny," in which a mother rabbit's unconditional love provides all the safety net her child needs to step out into the world. While Brown homes in on the child's conflicting urges for security and freedom, Lauren Thompson in "Leap Back Home to Me" offers a less emotionally nuanced but nonetheless warmly reassuring rhyme which, with the buoyant lilt of a song lyric, reaffirms a mother frog's love for her leapfrogging lad. Each time he hops to greater heights, his mother urges the wayfarer to "leap frog back to me!" With a mom like this, being green may be easy after all. Matthew Cordell's nimble line-and-watercolor illustrations are loose-limbed, unaffected and suitably silly. The reader learns a bit more about real frogs in "999 Tadpoles," a Japanese import aimed at a slightly older reader with a longer attention span, increased appetite for narrative and deepening curiosity about the world, including its dangers. In this tall tale with naturalistic overtones, a sprawling frog family outgrows its pond and sets out in search of more spacious quarters. Along the way, they meet a big snake ("'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!' said Mother. 'Before the snake wakes up'") and a hungry hawk, which - not to give away too much of the helter-skelter plot line - takes a more than passing interest in them. What's fascinating for an American reader is, first, how utterly matter-of-fact, in a book intended for preschoolers, Ken Kimura is about predation in the wild ("Then the hawk swooped down . . . and grabbed Father!"); and second, how adeptly both he and the illustrator, Yasunari Murakami, incorporate the few truly scary parts of their tale within a larger framework that leaves ample room for tongue-in-cheek dialogue and a happy ending. Might it be that Japanese children learn at an earlier age than ours do to accept nature's terrible potential as one more aspect of the world in which they live? As the news reports that followed the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami would strongly suggest (grade-school students there had all been routinely prepped with emergency drills): it might indeed. American picture book authors and publishers are far more inclined to "protect" young children from all manner of unpleasantness. Here, instead, we have a book whose spirited narrative cracks open a wider, more satisfying view. Murakami's impish, toy-bright illustrations look - almost - as if a talented 4-year-old might have painted them. In contrast to Hello Kitty-style Japanese Neo-Pop, they have a distinctly, even stubbornly, handmade feel. Besides setting the stage for outlandish fun, the message they convey is unmistakable: Nothing in these pages is not for children. The result is an uncommon picture book designed not only to entertain young people but also to give them their due. In "999 Tadpoles," a sprawling frog family outgrows its pond and sets off in search of more spacious quarters. Leonard S. Marcus's latest project is an annotated edition of "The Phantom Tollbooth," which will be published in October.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 19, 2011]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Though justifiably proud of their 999 offspring, Mother and Father Frog know that it's time to find a bigger pond. They are all crossing a field when a hawk snatches Father and begins to fly away. Quickly, Mother grabs Father's leg, a young frog grabs hers, another grabs her, and so on until the predator is hauling a heavy chain of frogs. Unwilling to los. a whole year's supply, the hawk holds on as long as he can, but eventually he lets go, and 1,001 frogs fall to their . . . new home in a big pond. Translated from the Japanese, this amusing picture book was given the same English title as a 2006 picture book with the same author, illustrator, and title but a different story and artwork. Even if you have the first book, you don't want to miss this one. Written with a storyteller's flair, the simple text finds just the right balance of drama and humor to make this tale of thwarted predation a real crowd-pleaser. The naive paintings suit the story well, and the cartoonlike exaggeration o. the little frogs' features reassures viewers that, somehow, these upbeat little characters will come out on top. Highly recommended for reading aloud.--Phelan, Caroly. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The best moment in this English-language debut, first published in Japan in 2003, comes as Mother and Father Frog try to keep their 999 tadpoles safe from predators as they search for a bigger pond. "Keep hopping," Father warns, "or a scary snake might get you." Father widens his eyes and sticks out his tongue to show his children what a snake looks like, but it's too late: the next spread reveals a dozen tadpoles holding onto the tail of a large, red... snake. "Like THIS?" they ask. (Kimura quickly reassures readers: "The snake was sleeping peacefully. It must just have eaten.") When a hawk seizes Father soon after, what looks like a crisis instead delivers the frogs to a roomy new home. Kimura views the natural world with humor and urges readers not to give in to discouragement ("This is great," says a tadpole as the hawk drags the entire family through the sky. "What a view!" says another.) Murakami's naif spreads, with plenty of white space and many small, absorbing images on every page, ease the tension and provide laughs. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Kimura chronicles a tale of family teamwork, accompanied by Murakami's comic art. Mother and Father Frog, proud of their 999 offspring's energy and growth, lead the youngsters toward a bigger home. En route, they escape a snake, but a hungry hawk grabs Father. Mother, then each tadpole in succession, latches on to create a heavy, winding line that the youngsters enjoy, but the bird can not keep hold, despite his delight in this "year's supply of frogs." All of the amphibians fall into a large pond and end with a rousing chorus of "ribbits." Use this story for comic relief when discussing life cycles or food chains. Murakami's simple cartoons and panoramic vistas of the journey will also entertain storytimers.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When 999 tadpoles transform into 999 frogs, things get crowded in the pond. As Father Frog says, they've got "a situation." The necessary relocation across the grassy field is hazardous; thank goodness the snake is napping. But worse is to come: a hungry hawk nabs Father. Mother's quick thinking saves the day as she grabs onto Father, and all the young frogs link up in turn. A wiggling and complaining string of young frogs is finally too much for the hawk and he drops them, handily, right into their new accommodation, a commodious new pond. There's not a word misplaced in the spare and funny text, and the illustrations are full of lively movement and personality. If Murakami couldn't quite manage to fit in 999 tadpoles, he did paint 444 (yes, I counted), thus retaining the satisfying symmetry if not the sheer size of this close-knit frog family. sarah ellis (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Having outgrown their pond, a frog family moves out, crossing a field where they meet a scary snake and then a hungry hawk that unwittingly flies them to a perfect home.Opening with an image of proud parents admiring their numerous tadpoles in a circular pond, the next spread shows the grown froglets, crowding each other beyond the pond's borders. Mother says, "We'll have to move," so off they go, following their father in a long, long line. Kimura captures the impatience of children on a trip ("When will we get there?").Murakami, an illustrator well-known in Japan, uses just enough detail in his expressive images to make his simple, suggestive shapes and crayon line meaningful. With their extensive white space, these illustrations will show well to a group. When the hawk captures father and the rest of the family holds on, the landscape tilts and the line of young frogs is reduced to a chain of dots, emphasizing the height and distance of their flight. Their splash into a new, large pond is immensely satisfying. (First published in Japan in 2003, this tale may be confused with a book/CD kit that has the same English title but a different narrative arc, published in Australia but also available here.)This well-paced journey, with just enough tension to keep young listeners engaged, will be a solid storytime choice. (Picture book. 3-7) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
