Wanda and the Frogs. Barbara Azore. Illustrated by Georgia Graham. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2007. 32 pp., cloth, $21.99. ISBN 978-88776-761-6. Subject Headings: Tadpoles-Juvenile fiction. Frogs-Juvenile fiction. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7. Review by Reesa Cohen. *** /4 Reviewed from prepublication copy.

She's back!! Fans of the book, Wanda and the Wild Hair, will be delighted to find the spirited girl in this new title in fine form, reveling in the arrival of spring.

Something wonderful had happened. Wanda could feel it in the warm sun on her skin. She could hear it in the rushing creek and smell it in the May blossoms. Spring had come.

Walking home from school, Wanda came across a puddle beside the ravine. It had been left by the melting snow. Wriggling black tadpoles thrashed about in the shallow water.

     True to her "on the spur of the moment" nature, Wanda decides to scoop up the tadpoles the next day and take them to her teacher. Her teacher agrees to take care of them and puts them in an aquarium. The fascinated children begin to watch the transformation of the tadpoles over the next few days while the teacher creatively uses them as a means to teach her curious pupils about frogs. But when the teacher announces that she will be releasing them in the creek, the enterprising Wanda insists on taking them home. Not surprisingly, her solution brings pandemonium to her household.

      Graham's quirky illustrations comically capture Barbara Azore's lighthearted story. She uses bright, lively pastels that humorously exaggerate the text. Long live this collaboration!

Recommended.

Reesa Cohen is a retired Instructor of Children's Literature and Information Literacy at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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