Friday, August 24, 2018

The Queen of the Frogs by Davide Cali - OPTIONAL


The Queen of the Frogsby Davide Cali, illustrated by Marco Soma. PICTURE BOOK Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2017. $16. 9780802854810

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3)—OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

The frogs of the pond spend their days swimming, catching flies, and singing. One day, a crown falls into the pond and when a little frog places it on her head, she is proclaimed the queen. The queen now rules over all the frogs, but her subjects soon begin to object. Now she must prove herself if she wishes to continue to wear the crown.

Beautiful illustrations in muted tones far surpass the quality of the story. Young readers will have little interest in a book that acts as a metaphor for oppressive governments and the ability and desire of the people to revolt to secure their individual freedoms. The ending also hits the wrong tone feeling as though it was added as an afterthought.

AEB

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