Dear Treefrog

by Joyce Sidman

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Collections

Picture books, Favorites

Publication

HMH Books for Young Readers (2021), 40 pages

Description

"With magical, concise and perceptive poems, Newbery-Honor winning author Joyce Sidman captures the life of a tree frog in an intimate and moving way. A master of the science note, her fascinating sidebars help bind the twin poems together and ground our perspective. We learn how treefrogs have sticky toe pads, how they still themselves when in danger, how they can change from green to gray to camouflage themselves - even how they eat their own skins, which is full of nutrients. The narrator's connection with this small creature brings solace, comfort, and a sense of mystery"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin

A young girl has just moved and takes an affinity to a treefrog in her new backyard. As the seasons change, will she meet new friends as well?

This is a sweet book for every young child who is a little bit introverted, preferring nature and quietude to noisy peers. Each page spread is a short poem

about the girl's journey on the left and a small fact about treefrogs on the bottom right.

The illustrations are gentle, fitting with the book's pacing. The girl is a very pale white, while classmates are children of color in some cases.

Show Less

1 more

LibraryThing member bookwren

As ever, Joyce Sidman is a marvel at melding poetry and science, but in Dear Treefrog, she adds a child's fears and hopes in moving to a new place and discovering how befriending nature leads to self-confidence and finding friends both 4-legged and 2-legged. Poems paired with natural history tell

the story of a shy girl who blossoms over the course of a year with the help of a gray treefrog in her garden. Includes an afterword: "More About Treefrogs and How to Welcome Them."

Show Less

Fewer