Before You Leap: A Frog's-Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons by Disney

by Jim Lewis

For the first time ever, Kermit the Frog, the world's most famous amphibian shares his own story in a funny, heartfelt book about his life and yours. After telling the tale of his remarkable career, and about all the amazing people (like Jim Henson) and pigs (like you-know-who) he's met along the way, Kermit shares his advice on many of life's Growing up- Every tadpole must drop their tail. How to get the drop on life.Falling In Love--Hollywood romance, interspecies dating. No one knows more about love than this frog.Starting a Career--Kermit climbed out of the swamp and into Hollywood, where he even worked naked. (Still does, in fact). How to make a big splash in life.Managing your Finances--Making it easier to make green…and keep it.Enjoying the Good life--Friends, laughter…and sharing “Fridays With Fozzie”. Before You A Frog's Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons. A Perfect Gift for Graduates, Retirees, Parents, Pigs, Bears, Penguins and anyone else still looking for their very own rainbow connection.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Self Help, Inspirational, Philosophy, Biography, Memoir

Unknown Binding

First published October 10, 2006

About the author

Jim Lewis (born 1955) is an American writer known for his work with The Jim Henson Company and The Muppets. Lewis first worked with the Muppets as the editor of Muppet Magazine. The book Before You Leap, which was credited to Kermit the Frog, was written by Lewis. The Disney Channel program Studio DC: Almost Live was produced by him. Jim Lewis grew up in Boonton, New Jersey and attended Boonton High School.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really a good book. Kermit writes well for a frog. We should all aspire to be like Kermit.
He's kind, thoughtful and is a good friend.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an utterly delightful book! Any of you who have wondered and marveled at the Muppets’ humor, rare philosophy and undaunted spirit will thrill to read every enticing line.

From the moment Kermit was discovered plucking his banjo in the swamp to his signing the Standard Rich and Famous Contract, to the Muppet TV episodes, movies and his wonderful relationship with his best friend, Fozzie Bear, the ever glamorous Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Beaker, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Animal and a host of other splendid characters, this book traces the high (and low) points of Kermit’s life. Perhaps being a small, green amphibian gives one a rare perspective on life. One could just as easily be squashed or admired, praised or ignored.

Kermit reminds us that no matter how large the obstacles placed before us, follow your dream. A man or woman without a dream has no purpose at all. That vision of a brighter future gives one a reason to wake up in the morning, to try, to take chances and, hopefully, succeed in some of those efforts. So, get out there and follow your dream! You’ll be so glad that you did.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely funny, but still helpful in life.

[Sivert · Rating 4 out of 5]

literally life changing!

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because I am a huge Kermit fan (one could say at one point in my life, I was almost infatuated with the little frog), and while I could hear Kermit speaking the words off the pages, there was one little problem: in the book, he really doesn't like Miss Piggy. I will be the first one to admit that the pig doesn't deserve such a nice, kind, considerate, fun frog like Kermit (read as: I would be much better for Kermit than Piggy), but reading the book this way made me feel like it wasn't really Kermit talking at all. Kermit and Piggy belong together, regardless of any thoughts (or hopes) to the contrary. They just can't be separated- so that's what made me give this book 2 stars instead of a likely 4.

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life when viewed from the lily pad is a lot easier to understand.

This book is full of humor with a bit of common sense tips. Oh, it is the stuff we all know, but it just seems a lot easier to take from a green fuzzy frog.

I especially loved Kermie's tale of how he got into show business, the last part of which is on Jim Henson: ... Jim and I had a relationship that just kept growing over the years. It was as if we were part of each other, connected at the heart as we went arm in arm through life. Like me, Jim believed that anything was possible if you dreamed big enough and worked hard enough ...

There is meaning and lessons, obviously, but it is done in a way that the puns make you smile and make you think.

Just remember... Time's fun when you're having flies! ;-)

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect read. 5/5 tadpoles from me! 🐸

[Jim Castine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure who this book was written for

my suggestion; the person (with an open mind and a sense of humor) who's about to attend college orientation

the boon starts with a quick history of Kermit and the Muppets (I didn't know they had so many movies!)

about a quarter of the way through, Kermit starts to give life lessons. some of them are absolutely brilliant. the lessons everyone needs to read.

a lot of them are fluff.

it's a fun read with some good jokes and puns, and some back jokes and more fluff.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for fans of the Muppets that would make a nice gift for anyone transitioning in a new stage of life (retirement, graduation, etc.) Fitting release along with Kermit's upcoming commencement at the University of Maryland. I along with my fellow alumnae, Emily, will be covering this book on episode 113 of Book of the Mouse Club podcast. Join us wherever you listed to hear our thoughts on the book, Kermit's commencement and a celebration of the Muppets 70th anniversary.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute! There's some really interesting (actual) Muppet history in the first half of the book, as well as a lot of Kermit's personal history, which is pretty cute ^-^ The second half of the book is more like self-help/advice, which is all pretty playful, but also practical and really sweet and encouraging.

Note: this is the latest edition of this book, but all previous editions have equally adorable "professional" cover photos of Kermit :)

[Sandie Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book! I enjoyed getting to know Kermit better! He is kind and good and the world is a better place because he is in it 😉

[Anne Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet addition for any muppets fan to support the brand. Some history and some random positive vibes.

[Lafcadio · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pattern is emerging in cutesy Kermit books I seem to be encountering as of late. I am a huge Kermit fan, so I receive them as gifts frequently. Unfortunately, all of these Kermit-philosophy books are just bad.

I must say this one is better than some, in that I laughed out loud in several parts, but there was a lot to dredge through between those morsels of humor. I admit that I skimmed the last third of the book because I just couldn't take the tedium anymore.

Also, Kermit's "voice" seems flawed - only sounding mildly like how one would expect a book written by Kermit the Frog to sound, and his relationship with Piggy is all wrong. Any mention of her includes some reference to Kermit disliking her and avoiding her at all costs. On The Muppet Show, Miss Piggy can be a lot to take at times, but Kermit is still her friend and respects her and ultimately loves her for who she is.

On a positive note, this book has amazing photographs. The one on the cover is one of my favorite Kermit photographs of all time, and the pages are replete with quality photos of Kermit illustrating the various points of the text. If I ignore all of the text, this is a fantastic Kermit book.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clearly it is not Jim Henson behind Kermit the Frog in this book. The author struggles to find Kermit's true voice. It is basically 200 pages of trite advice and the same four or five muppet jokes told over and over again throughout the entire book. As a childhood fan of the Muppet Show, I was very disappointed.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute history of the Muppets in the first few chapters, but everything went south once the self-help portion of the book started. The author could not decide whether to try to be amusing or inspiring, and as a result, did neither. Full of insultingly trite cliches.

[Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up quite a while ago for the simple reason that I have always loved Kermit and the Muppets. The first part was super cute: an "autobiography" of Kermit. The rest wasn't as good although there were a few cute pieces here and there.

[Alex Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and quick read that is full of heart. A lot of great tidbits and advice from Kermit that are applicable.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words beyond if you love Kermit, you'll love this book.

[Colleen Crayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a novelty book so not really my speed.

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Before You Leap" is an autography written by Kermit the Frog (The Muppets), and that is all of the author identification that you get. And, that's what you get; an autobiography from Kermit describing him and his life as a tadpole until the present. He talks about his experiences, and those experiences he had with his friends. Fozzie Bear is his best friend, and Miss Piggy is always after him to make a commitment to her.
It's more than an autobiography, and it's not a children's book at all. The first four chapters are about his life, but the last fourteen chapters are all about series topics like taking chances, when bad things happen to good people, finding your inner self, love, how to succeed, and "life's a movie, write your own ending". The humor runs through it...it's a funny and serious book all in one.

[Lia C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet book written from Kermit the Frog's perspective, reflecting on his greatest life lessons. Considering The Muppets and many other Jom Henson productions are an ensemble, portions of the book receive input from other memorable muppets such as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Rolf, and many more, where the message gets muddled and humor cheapens losing focus on its purpose. Despite that, the most endearing parts to me were Kermit discussing his friendship with Jim and the beginning and the last couple of chapters, where it was solely Kermit's narrative.
Written for all ages, it's an enjoyable read for anyone who is a fan of The Muppets.

[Emily Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as the May 2025 selection for my podcast, Book of the Mouse Club (a book club podcast dedicated to Disney themed books). With the announcement of Kermit the Frog as the commencement speaker at my Alma Matter, The University of Maryland, I thought I’d see what advice Kermit might offer to new graduates as they move onto a world outside of school. The book is told in Kermit’s voice and has Muppetisms, references, and Fozzie like corny jokes that will make Muppets fans proud. For a full review of the book, please listen to episode #113 of the Book of the Mouse Club Podcast. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jade Can't Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book get 5 stars simply for suppling me with more Muppet content to be devoured. (It takes a lot of effort to mess up a Muppets book) THAT BEING SAID it was defiantly apparent that Disney owns the rights to the Muppets from how this book was written. They made some jokes about tattooed people that I didn't particularly care for as well as overly saturated the book in every frog pun/metaphor. Which is fine but it just felt like they took a few concepts about the Muppets mannerisms and ran with that long after the marathon was over. When all is said and done it had a few touching heartfelt messages that contribute to the self help aspect of this book. (3.9 stars rounded up to 5)

[Robin Blankenship · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly hated this book. I am sorry I wanted to love it. I needed a book with leap in the title for a reading challenge and I leaped at the chance to read a book about Kermit. I love Kermit and the whole gang I hate how this author talked about piggy as if he is Kermit which was the point but still. The way he talked about Piggy was awful. Kermit loves Piggy period. Then after the part that was a biography he jumped into canned phoned in self help garbage. It was all vague common sense junk. It wasn't funny or cleaver it was condescending and rude.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read, and I loved the first portion of the book - it allowed me to relive my childhood memories of watching Kermit on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. I love the sarcasm and wit of the Muppets and it was captured beautifully in this section. I was admittedly disappointed when the "self-help" section began - it took up too much of the book. I also wasn't a fan of Kermit's disdain for Miss Piggy! I mean, yeah, she's not an entirely likeable character, but sheesh! A little respect pour moi s'il vous plaît...

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

PS reading challenge prompt 20: book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out) which is prompt #1 (book with the word "leap" in the title).

I should have read this for last years PopSugar challenge but I wasn't aware it existed until this year and the news surrounding Kermit's commencement speech.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love The Muppets. This is Kermit's life story from tadpole to today plus life lessons learned along the way.

[Molly Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big muppet fan, I really enjoyed this book. It’s pretty much a muppet-themed self help book, which covers a wide range of topics. I love how kermit references lots of other muppet characters and how they relate to whichever topic the chapter is on. There are so many sweet, heartfelt moments and parts that made me laugh too. It’s just so cute!

[Theresa F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section of the book, dealing with Kermit's biographical information, was entertaining and interesting. The second section on 'life lessons' started out weak, but it picked up steam as it went along.
Did I like it? Yes.
Would I reread it? Maybe.
Would I recommend it? Yes.

[Kinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't believe a frog wrote this, Because this book is so bad :/ Kermit does not deserve this level of disrespect in his book. I hope Kermit sues. This is a disrespect on the whole M.C.U (Muppet cinematic universe.) and Jim Henson is rolling in his grave.

[Sue J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clever, but I have never been a big fan of Kermit and the Muppets. Maybe an age thing!!