Why are there so many frogs in children’s stories? And who are the best frogs?
Although not usually regarded so very favourably in life for being (in the eyes of most people) rarely very beautiful and always very slimy, it is true that frogs (and toads) are very popular in stories.
Their “transformation” from a tadpole seems to give them a wide range of possibilities. These include the option of transforming again into something even more wonderful, as in the traditional fairies about frogs turning into princes.
In most of the versions of the story the princess, having been helped in some way by the frog, has to overcome her prejudice at its repellent physical form by either letting it sleep on her pillow or, worse still, kissing it! In The Frog Prince as told by the Brothers Grimm, the frog helps the princess retrieve a golden ball from the pond and the princess, far from rewarding him with a kiss or kindness, throws him against a wall where upon the spell is broken!
The idea that a frog could be a prince – or anything else for that matter – makes them excellent fictional characters. Their metamorphosis from tadpole to frog is a form of magic and it can easily be seen as a version of the transformation from toddler to child or child to teenager that young readers have to make. They provide a kind of model of hope. In addition, because they cannot be tamed in anyway there are no valid opinions on what the character of a frog might be. They appear to be shy, modest and rather vulnerable all of which can be quite attractive.
Frogs behaving badly are uncommon but not unknown. In an Aboriginal myth from Australia, the frog Tiddalik drinks up all the water leaving all the other animals panting from thirst. To get the water back, the other animals gang up against him and make him laugh so much that he releases all the water that he has swallowed. In some versions this has beneficial results but in others it causes the whole area to flood.
Also reprehensible, although in quite different ways is Mr Toad. Not quite a frog but closely related, the car-mad star of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows causes chaos and ends up in court although, luckily, his friends come to rescue him before all is lost.
One of the first frogs a child might encounter is the nursery rhyme The Frog Who Would a Wooing Go who has a charming determination and dare-devilry about him as he sets off “whether his mother would let him or no”. Unfortunately his boldness is not rewarded and he comes to a bad end at the close of the adventure.
Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Jeremy Fisher tells of another frog who is rather luckier – although he does loose his mackintosh and is put off fishing forever after having been suddenly snatched from his lily pad by a passing trout. Jeremy Fisher’s watery world is beautifully captured in Beatrix Potter’s watercolours and Jeremy Fisher himself is one of most attractive characters in the Royal Ballet version.
Arnold Lobel’s wonderful sequence of simple stories about Frog and Toad began with Frog and Toad are Friends. In this, and in the subsequent titles including Frog and Toad Together and Frog and Toad All Year , each chapter is a simple and charming mini adventure. More like humans than the creatures they are named for, Frog and Toad enjoy the coming of spring, the healing benefits of reading aloud and the delights of swimming – with and without a swimming costume. The gentle interaction of the pair and their pleasure in nature is both captivating and soothing.
In Frog in Love, the Dutch illustrator Max Velthuijs introduces another wonderful frog. Frog is vibrant green and both witty and sensitive. He manages to remain elegant and commanding despite wearing nothing more than a baggy pair of shorts. Frog is sure he is unwell; he is hot and cold and his heart is going thump, thump. But his friend hare locates the cause of these irregularities elsewhere. Frog is in love… Other titles about Frog and his friends Hare, Duck and Pig include Frog in Winter, Frog is Frightened and Frog is Frog are equally witty and delightful.
For the best and most surprising joke about a frog Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’s Tadpole’s Promise, a love story which is devastatingly shaped by the laws of nature, is unbeatable.
For older readers Maurice Gleitzman’s warm, witty and wonderful Toad Rage will convert anyone who feels less keen on frogs and toads to mega supporters.
Who are your favourite frogs and toads in children’s books? Tell us on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks or by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com and we’ll add your ideas to this blog!
.@GdnChildrensBks We adore Chris Wormell's Two frogs - witty text and beautiful illustration that'll make you lol pic.twitter.com/8vJ65un3LO
— YLGNorthwest (@YLGNorthwest) November 16, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks @jeccleshare - one of my favourites has to be 'Two frogs' by Chris Wormell
— Liz Evans (@velmadoo) November 16, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks The frog in Beware of the Frog by @williambeebooks is my favourite.
— Hannah Rolls (@HannahTheEditor) November 16, 2015
The best frogs in children's books https://t.co/gH14ALE8Nb @GdnChildrensBks you need to include @TimHopgood's pic.twitter.com/52Y4iUvVu7
— Zoe Toft (@playbythebook) November 16, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks Growing Frogs by @fivekingdoms is fantastic. It's non-fiction, I suppose, but told as a story. My kids LOVED it.
— Elli Woollard (@Elli_fant) November 16, 2015
SO many fab frogs in kids' books! & we suggest It's A Groovy World Alfredo! @GdnChildrensBks https://t.co/QGPYZEKVWr pic.twitter.com/SHfFnzrDXe
— The Catchpole Agency (@peachjamcloset) November 16, 2015
.@GdnChildrensBks One Muddy Pool by @lizziegyooll is great - all about a frog in the African bush. Hard to find nowadays but worth it
— Jane Scanlon (@jane_scanlon) November 16, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks Rowena Reddalot should surely be one of your favourites! #DonaldsonScheffler pic.twitter.com/VwVFMWyzf5
— Stephanie (@hodgehug) November 16, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks City dog country frog by @The_Pigeon Best pals & loss bt learn those we love influence us everyday pic.twitter.com/j0OHdybgIq
— Desna Wallace (@Edna331) November 17, 2015
@GdnChildrensBks Love the innocent Oi Frog who doesn't understand why he has to sit on a log. A knowing cat sets him straight l#BookDoctor
— Katie Timms (@ka_timms) November 17, 2015
Fly Pie by #JoyCowley and Philip Webb. "They lived hoppily ever after." @GdnChildrensBks @scholasticnz pic.twitter.com/BObf5wFHYr
— Kirsty Collett (@kirstycollettnz) November 17, 2015
