October 2, 2026
Kit and Peedie are siblings. Peedie is using a poking stick to poke the blobs in the pond when Kit warns him to stop. The blobs are teeny tadpoles! She shares the story of The Great Frog in the sky, the “looker after” of all the tadpoles and little frogs. Kit tells Peedie about The Great Frog's horse Tarnation, and how they ride in the sky, lassoing shooting stars. As Kit’s story unfolds, Peedie becomes more interested in meeting The Great Frog. Eventually Kit has to come clean and tell Peedie that she made the story up. But Peedie responds that “Lots of true things are stories.”
It was a struggle to write this review because it kept coming out so clinically. But this isn’t a book you analyze; it’s a book you just feel. It’s a study of fiction and science fiction and growing up and real life and how hard it is to be small and kind. I read this at my weekly storytime and tried to get feedback, but the kids were really quiet. We all agreed that it was “good”. Which for a group of kids under 5 years old is high praise indeed. The book leaves you pondering the Great Frog, the poor lot of tadpoles, and a wee bit unsettled. I really enjoyed it.
Bits and Pieces: The artwork for this book was created with pencils and pens of various shapes and sizes, gouache, watercolor, and Photoshop. The kids are kind of cartoonish, but The Great Frog is rendered in a more dramatic and realistic way. I liked the texture and details. His eyes were… mesmerizing.
Not Sure: I was mildly weirded out when Kit was part tree, part kid.
Favorite Part: I liked when Kit told Peedie that The Great Frog was arriving on Tuesday and Peedie mentioned he had tumbling class on Tuesdays, so Kit moved The Great Frog’s arrival to Wednesday. I liked that these kids were outside just vibing and chatting and no one was watching them or controlling them. Just to add some moral preaching, I think kids are too used to monitors and cameras staring at them all the time. Sorry to be a downer!!! Ok, now I've got to end this review on a high note…. In the words of my storytime group, this book was good.
P. S. I tried to paint the cover of The Great Frog, and my friend Mo who is 2 years old said, "a pony and a frog is ridin in the water and he needs his other hand! oh no!" And my sister just laughed and laughed when she saw it. I guess I will leave The Great Frog painting to Katie.
