The Queen of the Frogs. David Cali & Marco Soma, ill. 2017. 38 pages. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.]
Today is release day for The Queen of the Frogs, a hilarious story with a moral that everyone can relate to. The story is set at a pond with a community of frogs, flies, and dragonflies. One day, a shiny gold object drops into the pond – the frogs aren’t quite sure what it is, but it looks a lot like a crown. The frog community decided that the frog who found the “crown” should be their new queen, and then the fun ensues.
For a pond that never had a ruler before, they struggle to understand what exactly a queen does. The result is that they really found out all of the things a queen does NOT do, much to their chagrin. The queen doesn’t catch her own flies, she doesn’t get her feet wet, and she doesn’t even talk to the other frogs! I enjoyed The Queen of the Frogs for its easy to understand writing style and the readily understood message about fairness, with a subtle nudge at questioning authority. The drawings are calm and neutral, but robust with detail. This book would be great for independent readers, or for a fun read-along. I definitely recommend it for a young reader’s library.
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