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The Story of the Dancing Frog
A story about Jo's Great-aunt Gertrude and her relationship with George, a dancing frog, their life on the vaudeville stage, the Paris Follies, the Ballets Russes, and on Broadway, and their retirement together in the south of France
30 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Quentin Blake
765 books747 followersSir Quentin Saxby Blake is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator he won the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. From 1999 to 2001, he was the inaugural British Children's Laureate. He is a patron of the Association of Illustrators.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 29, 2015
The first time I read this book I was just a kid, and it made me cry.
I grew up, and forgot it, probably in the piles of books my mom keeps in case some day I have kids of my own.
I found it again this year in a charity shop, opened it and cried.
I bought it and took it home, so I can open it and cry whenever I want.
I don't know why it makes me cry, it's not out of sadness, there is something about unconditional friendships that last a lifetime that makes me al teary.
Anyway, thank you Quentin Blake for a lifetime of wonderful illustrations and this little piece of beauty that brings tears to my eyes like the grown sissy I am.
I grew up, and forgot it, probably in the piles of books my mom keeps in case some day I have kids of my own.
I found it again this year in a charity shop, opened it and cried.
I bought it and took it home, so I can open it and cry whenever I want.
I don't know why it makes me cry, it's not out of sadness, there is something about unconditional friendships that last a lifetime that makes me al teary.
Anyway, thank you Quentin Blake for a lifetime of wonderful illustrations and this little piece of beauty that brings tears to my eyes like the grown sissy I am.
January 12, 2021
A nice, simple, and lucid story for new readers. Brilliant illustrations by Quentin Blake. You never know which fresh and young mind will get a spark to go and pick the brushes and be as brilliant as Quentin Blake :-). We will need many more Quentin Blakes in the coming future.
December 30, 2022
Sends out a message that anything is possible
Read
August 4, 2007An odd but entertaining story.
December 27, 2018
Beautiful. Master of illustration, marvelous story.
“Everything can happen if you want it to”
“Everything can happen if you want it to”
November 12, 2020
Quentin Blake is a superb illustrator and has illustrated for many famous authors: John Yeoman; Russell Hoban; and most notably Roald Dahl. He has illustrated 18 books for Roald Dahl and 300 books in total. This attracted me to read one of his own books to see if he was equally as skilled in his own story telling.
The Story of the Dancing Frog is a book about loss, losing someone who is close to you and that you love, but also how you deal with the grieving process. The theme runs from loss to finding happiness again. The artwork depicts this very well by displaying clear emotions and the colours used also highlights the feeling of the scene. I didn’t expect any less from Blake knowing his skilled illustrations. The structure of narrative is through the form of storytelling. The mother telling her son about her great aunt. It begins with that and continues to describe the journey of her aunt after the loss of the aunt’s husband at sea. During her grief she finds a dancing frog and from there they begin a journey all over the world touring and saving her.
I liked that he used this idea of loss and that finding something small in life can help put you back on track and bring happiness back into your life. It is an important lesson for a child to know, but also a hard one. In this book, the woman lost her husband and within her despair she found the dancing frog who sparked happiness and joy. She toured the world with him and through this there was a lot of humour and silliness that a child would love.
I wasn’t very fussed on the suicidal thought at the beginning might be a bit heavy and didn’t seem necessary, especially if a young child decided to read this book. The way it ends so abrupt assuming the frog and aunt are dead. There was a random part about the aunt declining to marry another man which appeared in the midst of the story. The book leaves us with many questions like: who was the man who wanted to marry the aunt? Is there more than one dancing frog? Why did the hotel they were staying in get set on fire?
Overall, I think the book has valuable lessons in it, but can be quite heavy for a younger audience.
The Story of the Dancing Frog is a book about loss, losing someone who is close to you and that you love, but also how you deal with the grieving process. The theme runs from loss to finding happiness again. The artwork depicts this very well by displaying clear emotions and the colours used also highlights the feeling of the scene. I didn’t expect any less from Blake knowing his skilled illustrations. The structure of narrative is through the form of storytelling. The mother telling her son about her great aunt. It begins with that and continues to describe the journey of her aunt after the loss of the aunt’s husband at sea. During her grief she finds a dancing frog and from there they begin a journey all over the world touring and saving her.
I liked that he used this idea of loss and that finding something small in life can help put you back on track and bring happiness back into your life. It is an important lesson for a child to know, but also a hard one. In this book, the woman lost her husband and within her despair she found the dancing frog who sparked happiness and joy. She toured the world with him and through this there was a lot of humour and silliness that a child would love.
I wasn’t very fussed on the suicidal thought at the beginning might be a bit heavy and didn’t seem necessary, especially if a young child decided to read this book. The way it ends so abrupt assuming the frog and aunt are dead. There was a random part about the aunt declining to marry another man which appeared in the midst of the story. The book leaves us with many questions like: who was the man who wanted to marry the aunt? Is there more than one dancing frog? Why did the hotel they were staying in get set on fire?
Overall, I think the book has valuable lessons in it, but can be quite heavy for a younger audience.
November 5, 2022
Blake salva el relato con sus ilustraciones. Siempre me han gustado porque tienen una reminiscencia a infancia, con sus trazos largos y caras expresivas. Esta vez, nos presenta una historia fantástica sobre una rana bailarina que trae un cambio radical a la vida de Gertrude, su más grande fan.
Es un relato corto, nada espectacular, la prosa no tiene figuras literarias relevantes.
Pero es la clase de libro que un niño/a disfrutaría mucho: divertida, fugaz, llena de detalles fantásticos y giros de vida, que ni en lo cuentos es como la pintan~
Es un relato corto, nada espectacular, la prosa no tiene figuras literarias relevantes.
Pero es la clase de libro que un niño/a disfrutaría mucho: divertida, fugaz, llena de detalles fantásticos y giros de vida, que ni en lo cuentos es como la pintan~
March 25, 2026
Love Blake's illustrations because I grew up with them in Dahl's books and wanted to read some of Quentin's own books.
Well, it would be a 4 star-rer if the plot was better - the ending is a bit unsatisfying. But the drawings, oh they are magnificent! Each watercolour better than the next, vivid, cozy, joyous. I think my favourite is little George chilling out in the champagne glass with a happy little smirk.
Well, it would be a 4 star-rer if the plot was better - the ending is a bit unsatisfying. But the drawings, oh they are magnificent! Each watercolour better than the next, vivid, cozy, joyous. I think my favourite is little George chilling out in the champagne glass with a happy little smirk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2024
LA RANA BALLERINA di Quentin Blake. Una nuova bellissima storia illustrata che ci permette di scoprire la magia di un'amicizia nata per caso e del teatro e dei suoi immaginifici spettacoli. Con font ad alta leggibilità. Da 4 anni <3 https://ilmondodichri.com/la-rana-bal...
#lanaraballerina #quentinblake #altaleggibilità #sinnoseditrice
#lanaraballerina #quentinblake #altaleggibilità #sinnoseditrice
October 16, 2022
Pleasant, but I'm not sure there's much re-reading value. Kind of once you've read it you've read it you know? A bit confusing having to explain/discuss with the children whether it really did happen or not afterwards as well.
July 4, 2023
Nice short story with a few moments that needed explaining. It was a nice mixture of emotions and a overall fun story about a frog who dances! 4/5 short, nice illustrations and easy one sitting read.
February 14, 2022
What an odd, charming little story.
March 26, 2024
A charming book! I have loved Blake’s illustrations for years, and hadn’t really read any of his works, so this was a nice departure from what I usually read. Really lovely.
July 27, 2025
I just discovered what a wonderful gem this story is!
December 30, 2025
I never knew Quentin Blake wrote as well as being an illustrator. This was a funny little story. I suspect he took some inspiration from Roald Dahl.
January 8, 2022
A wonderful story about loss and unexpected new beginnings.
September 9, 2020
* Could be used for a fantasy story telling topic.
* A nice little story, but really basic regarding wider curriculum links.
* Illustrations are good.
* A nice little story, but really basic regarding wider curriculum links.
* Illustrations are good.
February 20, 2020
A funny story about a frog who reaches fame by dancing and his friends. A nice tale with some lovely Quentin Blake illustrations and I really appreciate the dyslexic friendly format of the book. However, it is just a nice story, nothing really more.
January 4, 2021
It is a good book but not my cup of tea .☕
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews