So you want to be a frog by Jane Porter, illustrated by Neil Clark

I love nonfiction picture books, but there's something to be said for a humorous informational book as well. This book combines froggy facts and jokes for a great read-aloud experience.

Readers are welcomed to Frog Club by a delightful green character named Fabio Frog and immediately challenged with a whole list of froggy things to do! You'll learn about the special abilities of amphibians, invited to hatch out as a tadpole, and then come stretching exercises. Can you jump as far as two buses? If a frog were the size of a human it could! How about stretching out your super-long tongue? "Oh dear, is that all?"

The rules of frogginess continue with choosing colors, spreading over the world, and connecting with ancient ancestors as facts, humorous asides, and interesting bits of information are served up for a fest of frogginess! Cartoon illustrations show a variety of frogs, their habitats, food, and more intermixed with text to create a book that is sure to delight young amphibian fans.

This would be a read-aloud only for older children as the text is lengthy and fairly complex. Although it's divided up into sections, it's not laid out like some nonfiction books where you can easily read the headings and save the longer sections of information for later. This title is one that's a good fit for an older elementary class read-aloud, for one-on-one reading with a patient child, or for independent reading by an elementary child who loves frogs. It could be adapted to storytime with a lot of picking and choosing, especially since there are sections like the jumping that encourage movements, but you will need to practice the book ahead of time.

Verdict: If you're looking for storytime read-alouds, this probably isn't the one to pick, but if you have a good audience for older informational and nonfiction picture books this will fit the bill. I have several dedicated frog fans in elementary school and a ready audience in my 3rd-5th grade teachers who receive monthly read-aloud baskets, so this is a must-have for my library.

ISBN: 9781536225136; Published April 2023 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library