Frog and Fly

by Jeff Mack

Overview

Six slurpy stories, two comical combatants, and one laugh-out-loud picture book

Frog and Fly are constant companions. There is only one problem . . . Frog thinks Fly is delicious! This leads to a never-ending battle of wits with laugh-out- loud consequences. Told in six short comic stripstyle chapters, Frog and Fly will delight kids and leave them begging for yet another slurpy story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399256172
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/15/2012
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Jeff Mack (www.JeffMack.com) lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where he writes, paints, and is a frequent visitor to schools.

What People are Saying About This

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Editorial Reviews

A frog with a sticky—and sharp—tongue, and a friendly fly are a dynamic comedic team in six brief, silly episodes perfect for beginning readers. Tricky Frog usually gets the upper hand, ending up with a tasty fly snack in most of the pair’s exchanges. “Nice to eet you?” Frog says to Fly in the first story. “No. Nice to meet you,” corrects Fly, before Frog gets the last laugh in the final panels. “SLURP! No. Nice to eat you!” Each vignette turns on a simple joke, as Mack (Hush Little Polar Bear) plays with language, opposites, and sound effects to land his punch lines; in one story, after Dog and Frog send Fly away with a “Yuck! Shoo, Fly!” Frog welcomes him with a “Yum! Good morning, Fly!” Young readers will enjoy watching the jokes play out in Mack’s crisp comic-book panels, which are peppered with clearly lettered dialogue and thought bubbles. This expressive and personable duo provides a spot-on brand of joke book–style humor that children will find plenty entertaining. Ages 3–6. Agent: Ruben Pfeffer, East/West Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2—Frog always seems to get the better of Fly in these scenarios. But never fear, Fly outwits him in the end. Frog manages to set Fly up for a punch line that involves Frog "slurping" him up in five funny ways. In the last scene, though, Fly manages to get Frog to stick his tongue on a "frog-slurping" bear and sees him slurped up in the end. Each of the short stories has minimal text, making this book suitable for beginning readers, but the humorous antics of Frog and Fly will be enjoyed by preschoolers as well. Bright, cartoonlike illustrations fill the pages, some of which have two panels clearly delineated by white frames, adding to the cartoon feel. This would be a fun reader's theater for storytime or classroom use.—Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN

School Library Journal

Frog meets fly, with predictable results--at least the first five times. Drawn in one or two big, very simple cartoons per page, each episode features a popeyed fly engaging a jovial frog in a brief exchange. "Nice to meet you." "Nice to eet you?" "No. Nice to meet you." This is followed by a climactic, terminal (for the fly) "SLURP!" and punch line: "No. Nice to eat you!" In later encounters, the frog actually toys with its intended victim: "Why did you kiss me?" "I kissed you because I love flies!" (with ketchup, as it turns out). The green guy gets it in the end when a nighttime slurp snags not the agile insect, but a silhouetted "frog-slurping bear." Newly fledged readers should be amused by the early-Muppet–style humor and will agree that the frog receives just deserts in the end. The comic-book pacing keeps each separate "chapter" fresh and funny, and the sunny palette keeps the tone light, even as the fly gets snaggled, over and over. Nature red in tooth and claw, though splashes of ketchup are the closest thing to visible gore in these sly vignettes. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews