Superfrog! by Michael Foreman

Superfrog! by Michael Foreman
Buy Superfrog! by Michael Foreman at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
Summary: A light-hearted superhero romp, with a frog as the star. There are a few nice touches, and this is good, solid picture book fare. Worth a look.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: March 2011
Publisher: Andersen
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1849392099
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Pond City is a peaceful place in the daytime. Little Frank the frog loves simply dangling his toes in the water and watching the world pass by. However, come nighttime, things take a turn for the worse: the Big Boss oversees a crime wave. When the Big Boss' creeps frighten Frank's granny and kidnap some frogspawn she'd been babysitting, enough is enough and Frank turns into Superfrog.

Superfrog! is a light-hearted, fun romp. It's silly, it's amusing, it's fast-paced and action-packed. And Frank blows all the air out of his bottom to jet-propel himself - how could you not love that? I also loved some of the turns of phrase, particularly Little Frank, the frog, was just busy being lazy. I also really liked the touch of the princess choosing not to kiss Frank in case he turned into a boring prince. These interesting moments feel a little disjointed, rather than accents on an otherwise high quality book. It's still a fine read, though.

Michael Foreman's illustrations are equally fine - standard illustrative fare. There wasn't anything that particularly blew me away, but equally there's nothing remotely deserving of criticism. I guess in and of itself, that's a form of criticism, but it's simply meant as everything is as it should be. Children will enjoy the action and adventure, and anthropomorphic frogs are always a big hit.

Superfrog! will strike a chord with children of a wide range of ages. The fast-paced plot and high-energy action will entertain older children, particularly those learning to read for themselves. Younger children will enjoy the silliness and cuteness of the frogs. The text is clear and direct, yet with enough verve to raise it above just plot, plot, plot. Superfrog! is worth a look.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

For other froggy goodness, check out Ten Friendly Frogs by Sally Hobson, Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan and Mike Lowery and The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Iain Smyth and Michael Terry. For superheroes, it has to be Nat Fantastic and the Brave Knights of Old by Giles Andreae and Katharine McEwen.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Superfrog! by Michael Foreman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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