The Frog and the Boy - Hardcover

Xiao, Mao

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1945295155 ISBN 13: 9781945295157

Publisher: Candied Plums, 2017

Synopsis

A boy met a frog. The frog said, "I can squat." "I can squat too." "I can jump." "I can jump too." They had so many things in common that the frog mistook the boy as the lost prince of the frog kingdom. What would the boy do to convince that he was not?

About this title

Review:

Who knew a human boy and a frog could have so much in common? Unlike many bilingual picture books, this Chinese import is delivered primarily in Simplified Chinese accompanied by hanyu pinyin (Mandarin phonetic transcriptions). At the back, English text is paired to thumbnail illustrations. Out picnicking with his parents, a little boy meets a frog and engages it in friendly competition. "I can squat," says the frog. "I can squat too," says the boy. The frog boasts, "My tongue is long." The boy replies, "My tongue is long too." Then the frog has a thought and invites the boy to come with it. The frog leads the boy to a pond where a colony of frogs greets him reverently: "Welcome home, Prince." Due to his froglike talents, the frogs have mistaken the boy for their long-lost prince! Thinking quickly, he points out why he can't possibly be the Frog Prince: he has dark hair and pink ears; he doesn't like wearing green and definitely doesn't like eating bugs. Too bad the abrupt and somewhat absurd ending (lost in translation perhaps?) doesn't live up to the rest of the story. Regardless, the art shines. The boy's dynamic expressions morph from page to page, and the rural setting is awash in gorgeous earth tones: brown soil, green leaves, blue-gray sky, and splashes of pink. Don't skip the endpapersthey bookend the story beautifully. Little ones will have fun mimicking the characters without realizing they're learning Chinese at the same time. (glossary) (Bilingual picture book. 3-8) -- Kirkus Reviews "Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15th, 2016"

About this edition

• Publisher: Candied Plums
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1945295155
• ISBN 13: 9781945295157
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 44