The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani
Biriwita the blue frog longs to be accepted at Croak College, the most famous school for frogs in Malawi, but the other students all turn their backs on him. He is just too different!
| The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: A bright and positive story about how Biriwita the frog overcomes adversity to become Croak College's best student. All proceeds to the World Medical Fund, helping children in Malawi. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: December 2016 |
| Publisher: Matador | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1785899959 | |
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Biriwita hails from Lake Ticklewater. Many creatures find a home there, including frogs. For some reason that nobody can remember, all the Lake Ticklewater frogs are blue. They think nothing of it. So, when Biriwita wins a place at Croak College, the first Ticklewater frog to manage such a feat, he is filled with excitement and his only worry is how much he will miss his friends and family.
So you can imagine how shocked Biriwita is to find that his classmates are mean and mocking. They've never seen a blue frog before so they make up nasty rhymes about him and refuse to let him join them when they are playing in the lake. In fact, they are so busy excluding Biriwita, that the green frogs don't notice the danger in the water...
... a crocodile lurks!
I won't go and spoil it all but suffice to say that Biriwita saves the day and his classmates see the error of their ways. Blue frogs are brave frogs!
This is a lovely, positive story about overcoming bullying and achieving your ambitions. Faiz Kermani's text is simple and direct but packs in a lot of energy and humour. It will be suitable for a young reader to tackle alone and for a parent to read aloud. It's gently encouraging about accepting difference and I liked the way in which the naughty green frogs were led to see their mistake by themselves rather than punished for it. Everybody ends up happily ever after in this story and young readers will pick up a lot of empowering messages about kindness and courage and acceptance.
The illustrations by Naomi Powell fit the text well and really do help to tell the story. They are bright and fun and energetic and she gives the frogs some wonderful facial expressions. But my favourite just has to be the crocodile, vanquished by Biriwita, slinking away. You can actually feel its teeth ache!
All of the profits from the sales of The Frog Who Was Blue will go to benefit the World Medical Fund, which helps children in Malawi who need medical care. Faiz has explained about their work in a piece for us here and you can find the WMF website here. We think you should buy this lovely story anyway but how can you resist now you know that it will help support some of the world's most vulnerable children?!
Faiz has also written another delightful story called The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani. You should definitely look it up!
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani at Amazon.com.
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