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Synopsis
Tired of hopping and jumping, Betsy the frog sees the leaves float down from the trees and is inspired to leap and twirl—she calls it dancing. At first the other frogs tell her there is no room for dancing. But she eventually teaches everyone that there is room for hopping, jumping, and dancing. “A beautifully designed book that, like Walsh’s earlier efforts, yields new subtleties and visual delights with each reading.”—Kirkus Reviews
Children's Literature
The story of a frog named Betsy who wants more than the usual hopping and jumping that her friends find satisfying. Betsy leaps, turns, twists and invents a dance. When ridiculed by the hop-jumping frogs, she finds a place for dancing only. Curious hop-jumpers can't stop themselves from observing, then they too dance. When these converts try to ostracize a hopping frog. Betsy is quick to defend, "Oh yes, there's room," she tells her friends, "For dancing and for hopping." Young children will be drawn to the spatter painted frogs that stretch, hop and dance across pages. The message of tolerance and a strong female role model could lead to excellent discussions with a preschooler. American Library Association Notable Book for Children. 1996 (orig.