Finklehopper Frog

When Finklehopper Frog decides to give jogging a try, everyone laughs at his efforts. But Finklehopper learns that it’s best to be himself and do what he loves—because that’s the perfect way for him!

Finkelhopper Frog's jogging style and wild jogging suit meet with criticism until he runs into Ruby Rabbit.

Jogging is the thing to do in town, and Finklehopper Frog is eager to join in. To mark the occasion, Finkle finds an extra-special jogging suit then hits the road.He hippied and he hoppied and he sang a sweet ker-chog,until he started wondering is THIS the way to jog? Finklehopper's doubts grow until one smart bunny helps Finkle discover that being part of the crowd doesn't mean casting aside your own froggy style. Catchy, rhythmic prose and peppy vernacular are paired with bright illustrations of a distinctive animal community in what is sure to become an all-time read-aloud favorite.

Publishers Weekly

Everyone else is out jogging, Finklehopper Frog notices one morning, and he decides to join in: "I will buy a jogging suit./ I'll get myself a jazzy one,/ a dandy one, a beaut!" As he struggles to transform his hop into a jog, the other animals snicker at his contortions and his eye-popping apparel. "Didja get it at a sale?" sneers Yowlereen, a catty feline jogger. Although hurt, the frog perseveres and befriends a rabbit-a fellow hopper-who praises his suit and his moves: "Keep on doing/ what you always do,/ cause hopping is the way to go,/ the perfect way for you." Except for a peculiarly rhymeless ending, Livingston's rhythms echo Finklehopper's bounce and blithe spirit, and encourage youngsters to be happy with their own best efforts. Lies's (Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle) bright, crisp acrylics boost the energy level, illustrating the animals with rib-tickling human trappings, among them a frog in a fez, a worm on a pogo stick, a tadpole being pushed in a glass tank stroller. Framing this pro-fitness story, the endpapers display Finklehopper stretching out, and a title page shows the hero reading a newspaper headlined: "Exercise Found to Promote Hoppiness." Ages 3-7. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Irene Livingston has been a teacher, has raised three talented daughters, and is now a writer. She began writing children’s stories and poems in 1996 and since then has published over a hundred pieces in kids’ magazines. Her adult writing has appeared in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Brian Lies has illustrated more than twenty books and has written four, including his New York Times bestseller Bats at the Beach. Brian has won numerous awards for his work, which also appears frequently in children’s magazines. He and his family live in Massachusetts, with two cats and a hamster.