The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog

by Sue deGennaro, Sue deGennaro (Illustrator)

Overview

“This celebration of differences displays great respect for readers' intelligence and yields more with each reading. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Two shy kids discover the power of friendship in this charming picture book that celebrates being different.

A boy likes to dress as a cat, but his best friend’s dog objects. What will he dress as now? A giraffe? A fox? A shark? When his best friend, Camille, suggests a frog, they work together to make the frog costume…until Camille runs out of patience. So the boy makes a list of the pros and cons of being a frog:

Pros:
1. My friend Camille gave me the idea
2. I’m less likely to be chased by a dog
3. Being in a frog costume makes me feel brave

Cons:
1. Not everyone loves wearing a frog costume as much as me
2. If you start getting bossy about your frog costume then your friend will get up and leave
3. A frog is NOT a solitary creature so it is no fun for a frog if his friend gets up and leaves

Luckily, he won’t have to choose, because true friendship means accepting each other’s differences: he can be himself and have his friend Camille.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481471305
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	08/30/2016
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sue deGennaro is the illustrator of eleven picture books. The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog is the first picture book that she also wrote. It was shortlisted for the Childrens Book Council’s Book of the Year Award and received a Notable Award in the picture book category in her native Australia. Visit her online at SuedeGennaro.com.

Sue deGennaro is the illustrator of eleven picture books. The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog is the first picture book that she also wrote. It was shortlisted for the Childrens Book Council’s Book of the Year Award and received a Notable Award in the picture book category in her native Australia. Visit her online at SuedeGennaro.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/23/2016
The boy who narrates this picture book, originally published in Australia in 2012, says that his friend Camille loves math so much that “some days she only talks in numbers.” He also knows that when she starts reciting her six times tables, “it’s time for a snack.” Camille knows him well, too—she’s the one who suggested he trade in his cat costume (which attracted unwelcome canine attention) for a frog costume. He wants to make one for Camille, too, but their measuring session grows tense—“Stop wriggling!” the boy shouts—and she walks out. The boy makes a thoughtful list of the relevant facts (“Not everyone loves wearing a frog costume as much as I do”) before finding Camille to apologize. DeGennaro’s softly tinted drawings render the children as bashful figures surrounded by the things they think most about. The boy’s costume-making and Camille’s fondness for math defy gender stereotypes, while Camille’s quirks are typical of children whose intellectual abilities outstrip their social skills. Their mutual recognition of each other’s gifts and habits should be a welcome example for children forging their own friendships. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

In this playful, multilayered story about friendship, a boy who likes to dress up as animals meets a girl who loves numbers. When our narrator first meets Camille, he’s dressed as a cat and is being chased by a dog (“It was more attention than I wanted”). Camille, who “loves math so much that some days she only talks in numbers,” suggests he try a new animal, and the two forge a friendship as they try to make a perfect frog costume. When the frustrations of the task lead to a spat, the boy drafts an apology via a list of the pros and cons of being a frog. The collage illustrations are detailed and whimsical. Math-loving Camille is often depicted against a backdrop of graphs and numbers. “I’ve worked out that 23 is yes and 17 is no,” says the boy, and when the two fight, Camille storms off the page, a cluster of 17s floating along behind her. Lively, visually appealing, and an ultimately affirming tale of friendship.

7/7/16 - Booklist

In this playful, multilayered story about friendship, a boy who likes to dress up as animals meets a girl who loves numbers. When our narrator first meets Camille, he’s dressed as a cat and is being chased by a dog (“It was more attention than I wanted”). Camille, who “loves math so much that some days she only talks in numbers,” suggests he try a new animal, and the two forge a friendship as they try to make a perfect frog costume. When the frustrations of the task lead to a spat, the boy drafts an apology via a list of the pros and cons of being a frog. The collage illustrations are detailed and whimsical. Math-loving Camille is often depicted against a backdrop of graphs and numbers. “I’ve worked out that 23 is yes and 17 is no,” says the boy, and when the two fight, Camille storms off the page, a cluster of 17s floating along behind her. Lively, visually appealing, and an ultimately affirming tale of friendship.

7/7/16 - Booklist

07/01/2016
K-Gr 2—Camille REALLY loves math. Some days she speaks only in numbers (23 is yes, and 17 is no), and she sings the times tables when she is hungry. Her best friend, while not so math obsessed, is equally unique and wears an animal costume all day at school. When Camille notices that he is being plagued by a rambunctious puppy, because he is currently donning a cat costume, she persuades him to choose another animal. After some false starts with a shark and a giraffe, they hit upon the frog as the perfect costume. Of course, frogs are not solitary creatures, so Camille must dress as one, too. With all the measuring and sewing, a fight ensues, but all is quickly resolved for a happy ending. Originally published in Australia, this is award-winning illustrator deGennaro's first book that she also penned. Set against a soothing beige backdrop, the illustrations are rendered in collage, Conte crayon, and pencil and ink. They are detailed yet playful and invite readers to linger over each page. Marvelous images of numbers and graphs are peppered throughout, and the sketches of frogs beg to be closely examined. VERDICT The book has a familiar theme, but it is the illustrations that make it special. Hand it to kids and families who gravitate to picture books with intricate and fascinating images.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

School Library Journal

★ 2016-05-04
The amphibian in this Australian import is actually a child who likes to dress as something else because it "makes me feel brave."The child had tried being a cat, but good friend Camille discreetly suggested (after watching a friend run repeatedly from a dog) that a different animal might work better. DeGennaro's introduction places the two on opposite sides of the gutter, highlighting their differences. The narrator sports one-piece pajamas, green slippers, and a green, knitted cap with two froglike bulges on top. Behind the narrator are collages of the tadpole's life cycle. Camille, wearing her signature red polka-dot boots, is surrounded by graphs and numbers. Although the protagonist knows that when Camille recites the six times table it signals hunger, her repetition and wriggling during measurements for a matching costume are maddening; the narrator's frustrated outburst causes her to walk off the page. These rosy-cheeked white children, created on the taupe pages with ink, pencil, and Conte crayons, exude personality—through lopsided goggles and smiles, gentle gestures, and bodies that relate to each other as if through gravitational pull. Sequential panels, thought bubbles, and backgrounds are expertly designed with mathematical symbols and frogs, enhancing comprehension of the characters' interior worlds. The visuals surrounding their endearing embrace show how unspoken layers contribute to communication and reconciliation.This celebration of differences displays great respect for readers' intelligence and yields more with each reading. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews