FROM OUR EDITORS

Leapin' frogs! Here's a hopping good collection of humorous stories starring our slimy green friends. In Ribbeting Tales, eight of today's most beloved writers -- Bruce Coville, Robert J. Harris, Brian Jacques, Janet Taylor Lisle, David Lubar, Stephen Menick, Nancy Springer, and Jane Yolen -- pay homage to frogs with original stories that entertain and delight.

ANNOTATION

An anthology of humorous stories celebrating the slimy frog by such authors as Robert J. Harris, Brian Jacques, and Jane Yolen.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Frogs? Yes, frogs. At first glance, frogs are green and, well . . . slimy. But look again—frogs are full of charisma. They're even full of stories! They just need a little nudge to tell them.

Here are eight of today's most fanciful writers, each paying homage to our slimy green friends. With whimsical illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi, Ribbiting Tales is a book for everyone who has ever rooted for the underfrog. Includes original fiction by Bruce Coville, Robert J. Harris, Brian Jacques, Janet Taylor Lisle, David Lubar, Stephen Menick, Nancy Springer, and Jane Yolen.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature

Many people have a fascination with frogs. From Kermit the frog to the Budweiser trio, there is something about a frog that is appealing. The eight authors whose short stories appear in this book certainly feel that way. They have rewritten classic tales and crafted new ones that involve these fly-catching, hopping amphibians. Robert J. Harris tells a whopper of a frog tall- tale, while Jane Yolen writes of a town plagued with frogs. Janet Taylor Lisle tells of young Delia Broom, a budding photographer who sees frogs with human features, while Brian Jacques tells an O. Henry-esque tale of an under-frog. David Lubar tells of a young boy and his pet frog gone terribly awry, and Bruce Coville blends an environmental message into his sci-fi tale. Stephen Menick bases his tale on the plagues that visited the Ancient Egyptians in the time of Moses, and Nancy Springer crafts a story of a young girl who wishes on a star and gets help from a fairy frog-mother. Each story is wonderfully captured in DiTerlizzi's pen and ink illustrations. This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves an imaginative romp with frogs. 2000, Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, $16.99. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Elizabeth Pabrinkis

VOYA

Editor and author Springer brings together this collection of fantasy stories about everyone's favorite underdogs—frogs. Penned by relative newcomers as well as by giants of the genre such as Brian Jacques and Bruce Coville, the stories are nearly all humorous. Jane Yolen's Green Plague, which retells the Pied Piper tale with—you guessed it—frogs instead of rats, and David Lubar's A Boy and His Frog, about owning an outsized, Chihuahua-munching croaker, are sure to make any frog-fancier smile. The standout story, however, is the one nonhumorous tale by Stephen Menick. Polliwog tells about the plagues that Moses and his god brought down on the Egyptians. The story is narrated by Pharaoh, whose much-loved first son, Tetef, delights in the second plague of frogs even if no one else does. It is, in the end, a father's story of grief because Tetef is lost to the final plague. Some stories do miss their mark. Robert Harris's tall tale is a bit bland, and Janet Taylor Lisle's offering is Afternoon of the Elves with a bit more humor and a few more frogs. The illustrations are pen and ink and quite cute. They are so cute that they might turn off some middle-grade readers who view pictures as an aspect of books for younger children. Several illustrations are at loggerheads with descriptions of characters or events described in the text. That said, this collection is full of fun stories that fans of the included authors and amphibiaphiles will definitely enjoy. Some selections might also make excellent read-alouds. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2000, Philomel, 128p, $16.99. Ages 12 to 14.Reviewer: Timothy Capehart

SOURCE: VOYA, October 2000 (Vol. 23, No. 4)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-These eight original stories, each by a different author, are intended as an entertaining homage to frogs. Black-and-white line drawings echo the playfulness of the stories, which are all clever and lighthearted except for one. Stephen Menick's "Polliwog" is told in the voice of a Pharaoh of Egypt who desperately wants a son and when magicians give him one, a battle of magic begins with Moses. Longer and more serious than the others, the story seems oddly out of place in the collection and the frog detail is incidental. In contrast, the opening tale by Robert J. Harris, "Old Jim Croaker Jumps over the Moon," is genuine folktale fun about a frog that believes his own bragging. Other authors include Janet Taylor Lisle, Brian Jacques, Jane Yolen, David Lubar, and Bruce Coville. Springer adds the final tale titled "Ahem," which gives the phrase "a frog in the throat" a witty twist. In her foreword she declares her fascination for rooting for the underfrog, and the pond stage is set. Ribbit.-Julie Cummins, School Library Journal Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Book Watch

Frogs are full of tales and charisma, and this gathers some of the most amusing stories of frogs from a variety of sources. From Brian Jacques' story of a menacing frog monster to Bruce Coville's tale of a swamp frog adventure, this is filled with name-brand authors and diverse frog tales.

Kirkus Reviews

From Jane Yolen's froggy Pied Piper remake to "A Boy and His Frog," by David Lubar (designer of the Game-Boy version of "Frogger"), about a lad who releases his oversized pet into the local swamp after it eats a neighbor's Chihuahua, these eight new tales will make a big splash with middle readers. The tone, reflected in DiTerlizzi's Homer Price—like drawings of cheerful, high-stepping children and bulging, inscrutable amphibians, is generally light. It changes toward the end with Stephen Menick's anguished Pharaoh's-eye view of the Seven Plagues of Egypt before bouncing back up with Springer's closer, "Ahem," in which a shy, harassed child turns jeers to cheers by going to school with a loudly assertive frog in her throat. Invite readers to follow Bruce Coville's shape-changing superhero Dennis Juggarum in releasing their own inner frogs with this kickin' collection. (Short stories. 8-11)Sturtevant, Katherine AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR Farrar, Straus & Giroux (144 pp.) Oct. 16, 2000