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Ecosystems
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman β€” book cover

Frog in a Bog

by John Himmelman
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Synopsis

Features animals, insects, and plants in a bog.

Wendy Glenn, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

This combination story and reference text explores the multitude of animal and plant life existent in a bog. The story begins with a frog that hops onto the moss and incites two mosquitoes to fly away. One mosquito lands on a sundew plant and will likely be eaten, and the other rests on a horsetail. And so the story goes until we return to the frog that snatches up a cricket and hops onto a fern. The remaining pages include drawings of insect, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants found throughout the earlier pages of the book. This section serves as a sort of field guide that encourages readers to peruse the illustrations (and their backyards) to find these creatures. The text ends with a more scientific description of a bog as well as a list of books and Internet resources available should young readers wish to explore further. The illustrations are done in watercolor and provide realistic depictions of critters and plants one might find in a bog. The story is not extremely complex, but it depicts nicely the natural process of consumption among living things. It is much livelier than a science textbook that might attempt to describe the same concept. 2004, Charlesbridge, Ages 3 to 8.

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Editorials

Children's Literature

This combination story and reference text explores the multitude of animal and plant life existent in a bog. The story begins with a frog that hops onto the moss and incites two mosquitoes to fly away. One mosquito lands on a sundew plant and will likely be eaten, and the other rests on a horsetail. And so the story goes until we return to the frog that snatches up a cricket and hops onto a fern. The remaining pages include drawings of insect, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants found throughout the earlier pages of the book. This section serves as a sort of field guide that encourages readers to peruse the illustrations (and their backyards) to find these creatures. The text ends with a more scientific description of a bog as well as a list of books and Internet resources available should young readers wish to explore further. The illustrations are done in watercolor and provide realistic depictions of critters and plants one might find in a bog. The story is not extremely complex, but it depicts nicely the natural process of consumption among living things. It is much livelier than a science textbook that might attempt to describe the same concept. 2004, Charlesbridge, Ages 3 to 8.
β€”Wendy Glenn, Ph.D.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Himmelman leads children through natural events that occur on a typical day in a bog, beginning with a frog hopping into some moss. Simple sentences describe what is happening in the colorful art, reinforcing what is likely evident to children: "The frog hops from a fern and lands with a plop in the moss. Two mosquitoes fly away. One mosquito lands on a sundew. The sundew curls around it." Throughout, readers are introduced to plant, insect, and animal names that may not be commonly known and the idea that some events trigger others. Some classification lessons are included at the end of the book. The watercolor illustrations are definitely a draw: the effect is soft and delicate. Detail is beautifully rendered, and elements of the pictures often spill outside the boundaries of the frames. Back pages offer labeled pictures of plants and animals for closer inspection. This book will have broad appeal and would be suitable for sharing with a small group in a classroom setting.-Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Himmelman threads a faint plotline through clean-lined close-ups of finely-drawn flora and fauna in this introduction to bog life: a leaping frog disturbs two mosquitoes, one of whom lands on a horsetail while the other imprudently selects a carnivorous sundew. A dragonfly also perched on the horsetail spots a butterfly on a steeplebush flower; a muskrat tramples the steeplebush flower and a mole cricket scrambles out of the way and so on. The line of text running beneath each scene names only some of the plants and animals depicted, but the author identifies them all at the end, inviting readers to go back for second looks. Satisfying fare for budding naturalists. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

Book Details

Published
February 1, 2004
Publisher
Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Pages
32
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781570915185

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