The Biggest Frog in Australia

The biggest frog in Australia drinks all the world's water, which leaves the rest of the world's animals thirsty, so they conspire to make the frog laugh and spill his water, in a retelling of an Australian folktale, complemented by striking cut-paper collage illustrations.

PreSchool-Grade 3?When a very thirsty frog drinks all of Australia's water, leaving none for the plants or other animals, they try to trick him into opening his mouth so that the water will flow out. Kangaroo, Koala, and Wombat wiggle and jump, but their acrobatics fail to elicit a chuckle from the frog. Two eels, who twist themselves into a slipknot and burst apart like coiled springs, finally succeed in getting him to guffaw, thus releasing so much water that the animals must flee to higher ground. This original tall tale, inspired by "Tiddalik the Flood-maker" from Charles P. Montford's The Dreamtime: Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings (Rigby Ltd., 1976; o.p.), contains familiar motifs presented with fresh energy. Appropriately, the crayon-bright red frog overflows the edges of most pages. Brilliantly colored cut-paper collages feature a multitude of textures, including fuzzy white paper that forms the kookaburra's feathers and the koala's ears, and marbleized paper to depict water. This is a title that begs to be shared with a group. Children will love the beasts' zany antics as well as the book's artistic inventiveness.?Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Roth (Creak, Thump, Bonk!, 1995, etc.) achieves startling collage images that beautifully enhance a comic Australian folktale. The frog, a huge red monstrosity that is never pictured in his entirety, drinks up all the water (rendered by a marbling effect), and the other animals must think of ways to make him laugh so the water will spill from his mouth. Kookaburra tells a lame joke, Kangaroo does jumping tricks, and Koala waddles ridiculously to no avail. Only an eel has the right stuff, with the wished-for results. The colors, textures, and layout of the illustrations place readers smack-dab in the Australian outback. There are other stories about Tiddalik the frog--Roth mentions her inspiration in an author's note, and also provides a glossary--but this one casts a very long spell. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5^-7. "Once, in the Dreamtime, the biggest frog in Australia woke up very thirsty." After he drinks up all the water on the continent and even in the rain clouds, the earth is parched and the other animals are thirsty. They hope to make the enormous frog laugh, forcing the water to come spilling out. Finally they succeed, and the water flows back to the ocean, lakes, rivers, billabongs, puddles, and clouds. A highlight is the striking collages of cut papers, many with unusual textures or painted surfaces. The story is based on an Australian aboriginal myth, and its humor will hold an audience, particularly a class studying Australia. A short glossary explains the meaning of Australian terms, but the story will flow better for children who already know a wombat from a dingo. Carolyn Phelan