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Weird Frogs
A sneak peek into the remarkable world of the tail-less amphibians. Some frogs blend into the green of their ponds, and live an unremarkable existence. But some are strange looking, having adapted to a special environment. This colorful and informative book reveals a rare and close-up look at the odd beauty of some of the strangest of these creatures largely hidden from our view. Weird Frogs Available in hardcover and paperback, the book will appeal to middle school students exploring topic ideas, younger students interested in wildlife and advanced readers who enjoy picture books.
64 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2014
About the author
Chris Earley
19 books5 followersChris G. Earley is the Interpretive Biologist at the University of Guelph's Arboretum and author of Hawks and Owls, Sparrows and Finches, and Warblers, all specific to the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America region.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 27, 2015
The photographs in this book are beautiful. I do however wish there was more text. Most, maybe all of the frogs get only a short paragraph each, and some only two sentences. I guess this would be a good book for middle grade kids but I found myself wanting more.
February 5, 2016
Really enjoyed & appreciated the conciseness of this book: a short blurb of interesting facts (what makes that particular toad or frog "weird") coupled with a beautiful, detailed photo.
July 13, 2024
Rating: 3.5
Earley’s beautiful photographic work, which features 56 fascinating frogs from around the world, was a nominee for the 2016 Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Express Reader’s Choice Award. The Silver Birch Express program is geared to 8 to 10-year-old readers, and some nominees are very evidently suited to kids in grades 3 and 4. This one is perhaps an exception. Though it’s hardly text heavy—two to five sentences accompany each photo of a unique frog (or toad)—the sentence structure for some entries can be complex and some of the terms, concepts, and vocabulary would likely not be familiar to the target audience (e.g., genus, bromeliad, surface tension, pH). I also suspect that many young readers wouldn’t be familiar with locations mentioned— New Guinea or South American nations, for instance—and there are no maps to help.
Having said all this, I still think any curious reader—even someone without a particular passion for these amphibians—would find much of interest here. The book certainly whets my appetite for further reading. In a school setting, it would be a great text to highlight “questioning”, a reading strategy that skilled readers regularly apply.
There’s a lot of interesting and fairly accessible content here. I already had some familiarity with poison dart frogs. (South American indigenous hunters rub their darts against the brilliantly coloured poisoned skin of these frogs.) Earley presented me with varieties I was unfamiliar with, as well as other frog species whose skin exudes sticky, smelly, or foul-tasting substances to protect the creatures from predators.
Earley provides introductions to various other frog species—among them glass frogs, whose skins are so transparent that you can see their organs, bones, and blood vessels; male mouth-brooding frogs who hatch froglets in their vocal sacs; and female marsupial frogs who carry eggs in pouches on their back (hmm . . . I wonder where the ovaries are located in those creatures? How do the eggs get there?)
Earley is an interpretive biologist and education coordinator at University of Guelph’s “Arboretum”, 400 acres of gardens, walking trails, woodlands, wetlands, and meadows that are adjacent to the southern Ontario campus. He’s written a number of other books. I’ll look for them.
Earley’s beautiful photographic work, which features 56 fascinating frogs from around the world, was a nominee for the 2016 Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Express Reader’s Choice Award. The Silver Birch Express program is geared to 8 to 10-year-old readers, and some nominees are very evidently suited to kids in grades 3 and 4. This one is perhaps an exception. Though it’s hardly text heavy—two to five sentences accompany each photo of a unique frog (or toad)—the sentence structure for some entries can be complex and some of the terms, concepts, and vocabulary would likely not be familiar to the target audience (e.g., genus, bromeliad, surface tension, pH). I also suspect that many young readers wouldn’t be familiar with locations mentioned— New Guinea or South American nations, for instance—and there are no maps to help.
Having said all this, I still think any curious reader—even someone without a particular passion for these amphibians—would find much of interest here. The book certainly whets my appetite for further reading. In a school setting, it would be a great text to highlight “questioning”, a reading strategy that skilled readers regularly apply.
There’s a lot of interesting and fairly accessible content here. I already had some familiarity with poison dart frogs. (South American indigenous hunters rub their darts against the brilliantly coloured poisoned skin of these frogs.) Earley presented me with varieties I was unfamiliar with, as well as other frog species whose skin exudes sticky, smelly, or foul-tasting substances to protect the creatures from predators.
Earley provides introductions to various other frog species—among them glass frogs, whose skins are so transparent that you can see their organs, bones, and blood vessels; male mouth-brooding frogs who hatch froglets in their vocal sacs; and female marsupial frogs who carry eggs in pouches on their back (hmm . . . I wonder where the ovaries are located in those creatures? How do the eggs get there?)
Earley is an interpretive biologist and education coordinator at University of Guelph’s “Arboretum”, 400 acres of gardens, walking trails, woodlands, wetlands, and meadows that are adjacent to the southern Ontario campus. He’s written a number of other books. I’ll look for them.
May 22, 2017
Amazing photography!!
March 1, 2018
Stunning up close photography of frogs and toads! It's a good coffee table book or a quick read just to marvel at the great pics.
March 17, 2021
Thems some weird frogs! I don’t know much about frogs, but I love all the toads near my house, so this was cool.
January 18, 2016
Sold by the cover! Who can resist that sweet froggy face?
Filled with interesting facts and engaging photos, I loved this book. The text is perfectly chunked into short bursts alongside oversized photographs, which are the star of this show. From a variety of tree frogs, with their squishy, sticky padded toes, to the Vietnamese mossy frog, perfectly designed to blend into mossy flora, this book is a quick read for any #bookaday challenge, or anyone with a heart for the amphibian set. There are dozens of frogs showcased. The pictures are zoomed in and vibrant. Once you read it, you'll want to picture walk two or three times more, just to drink it in again and again. Have a budding scientist in your family? Get this book. It'll be a treasure.
Filled with interesting facts and engaging photos, I loved this book. The text is perfectly chunked into short bursts alongside oversized photographs, which are the star of this show. From a variety of tree frogs, with their squishy, sticky padded toes, to the Vietnamese mossy frog, perfectly designed to blend into mossy flora, this book is a quick read for any #bookaday challenge, or anyone with a heart for the amphibian set. There are dozens of frogs showcased. The pictures are zoomed in and vibrant. Once you read it, you'll want to picture walk two or three times more, just to drink it in again and again. Have a budding scientist in your family? Get this book. It'll be a treasure.
April 13, 2016
My youngest daughter brought Weird Frogs home from school, and the entire family loved it. The text is short and informative, but it's the amazing pictures you should pick up this book for!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews