Dear treefrog

First Title Value for Searching:

Dear treefrog

Personal Author:

Sidman, Joyce

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Summary:

"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"--

Subject Term:

Hylidae -- Juvenile literature.

Frogs -- Juvenile literature.

Additional Credits:

Sudyka, Diana

Audience/Lexile:

Ages 4 to 7

Grades K-1

Publication Info:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2021]

Subject:

Hylidae -- Juvenile literature.

Frogs -- Juvenile literature.

Hylid frogs

Hylids

Tree frogs

Tree toads

Treefrogs

SAILS ISBN:

9780358064763

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Plainville Public Library	J SIDMAN	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dighton Public Library	PIC SID	1:JTOWNHALL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Elizabeth Taber Library	JE SID	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Holmes Public Library	JP SID	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	JJ FIC SIDMAN	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mattapoisett Free Public Library	J 597.8 SID 2021	CHILDREN NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Francis J. Lawler Branch	J PIC SIDMAN	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Free Public Library	J 597.878 SID 2021	CHILDREN NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	JE POETRY SIDM	EASY NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norton Public Library	JE SID	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Raynham Library	JPIC SIDMAN	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rehoboth - Blanding Free PL	S	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rochester - Plumb Library	E SID	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	597.878 SIDMAN	CHILDREN NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Somerset Public Library	S I D	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Swansea Public Library	C SID	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Taunton Public Library	E SIDMAN	CHILDRENS ROOM	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westport Free Public Library	J 597.878 SID	CHILDREN NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Capturing the joy of finding a kindred spirit, this stunning picture book by Newbery Honor-winning poet Joyce Sidman tells the story of a lonely girl moving into a new home and the little treefrog that helps her connect to the beautiful world around her. Perfect for fans of A Butterfly Is Patient and They Saw a Cat.

I See You

suddenly

among the tangled green

a tiny dollop of

frog

where before

there was only leaf

. . . Are you new here too?

When a shy girl moves to a strange new home, she discovers a treefrog perched in a secret spot nearby and learns that sometimes, all it takes to connect with the people and the world around us is a little patience, a curious mind, and a willingness to see the world through a different perspective than your own. With beautiful gouache illustrations by Diana Sudyka and magical, perceptive poems from Newbery Honor-winning author Joyce Sidman, the lives of one tree frog and the girl who discovers it converge, bringing solace, courage, and joy in finding a kindred spirit.

Reviews (3)

Horn Book Review

In what is in essence a nonfiction early-chapter-book in verse, a young girl moves to a new home. She's lonely, but when she explores the garden, she observes a small treefrog. With no friends, she adopts the treefrog as a surrogate companion and searches for it every day. An expository note placed in the lower right-hand corner of every double-page spread expands each sighting by providing scientific facts about the treefrog's habitat and life cycle. Sidman's narrative, composed of a series of short poems, relates the girl's story of discovering and contemplating the frog, and of eventually finding a human friend who is also happy to observe nature. Sudyka's watercolors showcase the settings and give life to the metaphors -- the changing seasons; the rich jewel tones of the frog's surroundings; the treefrog clinging to a leaf, or "snug saddle"; and the quiet pleasures of sharing nature. The language in these poems is simple but not simplistic: "I hope you are / somewhere / safe / Treefrog // holding on tight / with those grippy toes / riding your / snug saddle of leaves." Each entry crafts a single episode; together the poems construct a clear narrative arc. Appended with a four-part discussion, nicely organized with pertinent headings, about treefrogs and their survival. Altogether lovely. Betty Carter May/June 2021 p.156(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Sometimes all it takes is finding an unexpected friend, waiting and still, ready for play. A young child with pale skin, short black hair, and (literally) almond-shaped eyes has just moved to a new home. Unsure of this big change, the child holds a cat stuffie and looks askance at the movers. Then a little frog catches the child's eye. Spread by spread, season by season, lyrical poems tell the story of this budding friendship, in which the child learns to be still and see small details in this world, as an artist or scientist does. These deceptively simple poems contain a multitude of poetic devices. Short, expressive facts about tree frogs also accompany the poems. In playing with the frog, the child mimics its movements, and on one spread, they are both depicted with the same speckles and black outline. This oneness helps the child feel less lonely and eventually find a friend in a brown-skinned classmate who is equally still and observant. Sudyka's bold lines and vivid watercolor palette paint an immersive, verdant world, with occasional color pops. Whimsical flourishes often blur the child's real and imaginary worlds while concealed in the illustrations are names of birds, bugs, flowers, and more for young scientists to discover. Backmatter provides additional information about tree frogs, perfect for STEAM lessons. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) A child, a tree frog, and a poignant, poetic journey to find a sense of home. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

When an inquisitive, shy girl finds a treefrog in front of her new house, the quiet creature, "a tiny dollop of / frog / where before / there was only leaf," becomes an emblem for the girl's feelings over the course of the seasons as she faces a new school and misses an old friend. Looking for and wondering about the frog, meanwhile, becomes a grounding comfort for the girl: "I look / and breathe / and / settle / growing / calmer / steadier / a little less lonely." As the seasons turn and the treefrog hibernates, the girl makes a friend as interested in quiet observation as she is, and they patiently wait for the return of spring when they can look for the amphibian again. In compelling contrast to Sidman's spare verses, Sudyka's warm, detailed paintings, dense with overlapping wide green leaves and jostling oversize, boldly colored blooms, lovingly showcase lush natural areas, with lots of other wildlife tucked into the habitat. Unobtrusive text labels plants and animals, and, while stylized, the figures are realistic enough to identify individual species. A few lines of prose on each page spread offer additional facts about treefrogs, and back matter provides even more opportunities for learning. This artful picture book seamlessly blends science, poetry, and mindfulness, encouraging little ones to get outside, slow down, and look closely at what's around them.