Being Frog
by April Pulley Sayre; photos by the author
Preschool, Primary    Beach Lane/Simon    32 pp.
2/20    978-1-5344-2881-2    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-1-5344-2882-9    $10.99

A green frog moves through its woodland environment, its motions described in short rhyming sentences that match the pace of the creature as it hunts, crawls, jumps, or remains motionless (“It climbs a cliff. / Mossy. Steep. / It sits so still. / Then, suddenly — / LEAP!”). The pairing of Sayre’s poems with her photographs is seamless. The pictures are skillfully composed, using light and depth of focus to center attention on frog facial expressions or positions, or to show how well the frogs use water, rocks, and foliage as camouflage. Often with one or both eyes seemingly looking directly at the viewer, the frogs — and Sayre’s poem — invite readers to contemplate their sentience. “A frog / is a being. / It is watching. / It is seeing… / Does it ponder? / We don’t yet know.” In an end note, Sayre (Woodpecker Wham!, rev. 5/15; Warbler Wave, rev. 3/18) explains her enduring relationship with the frogs in this book (who live in her local pond) and explains the differences between her subjective observations and scientific study. Recommendations for additional resources, including an app that plays frog sounds, are included.

From the January/February 2020 Horn Book Magazine.