Gilbert de la Frogponde: A Swamp Story

by Jennifer Rae, Rose Cowles (Illustrator)

Can Gilbert de la Frogponde talk his way out of becoming a fancy dinner?
In the swamp lives a fat and sassy frog named Gilbert de la Frogponde. Gilbert spends his days catching flies and lazily dozing on the dock until one day, two gourmet chefs arrive at the pond in search of dinner. Too fat to outrun them, Gilbert must outsmart them by convincing them that bugs, not frogs, are all the rage in the most stylish restaurants. Only Gilbert de la Frogponde could possibly talk himself out of such a jam!
Children will fall in love with Jennifer Rae’s adorable, roly-poly, green character, while adults will delight in Gilbert’s self-reliance and quick wit. Gilbert’s antics are captured by Rose Cowles’s quirky, inventive illustrations that will enchant audiences of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

See also Jennifer Rae Trojan

Reviews

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super adorable. Sneaky survival skills! Oui, you will love this book.

[Caranna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhyming books are my favorite read-aloud children's stories and this one is oh so cleaver. It's a crowd pleaser for sure!

Poor Gilbert is a well fed frog who was about to become lunch! Due to some quick thinking on his part he is able to save his own neck while also convincing the villainous Chef's to try his bug filled gourmet dishes.

[Kate Matheis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty strange. The story was okay, I was glad he was clever enough to not be eaten. The illustrations were a little creepy.

[Asha Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilbert a fat little frog is about to be dinner! So he thinks of a quick plan to trick the chefs who are trying to catch him. He calls himself Gilbert de la frogponde and disguises himself as a chef too, and get the human chefs to eat slugs and ants instead. I liked this book and would read it to my class if there were extra time in the day. Also it teaches a little about what frogs eat too so the children can learn what frogs enjoy eating.

[Alma Loredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frog did many things with his friends but he could not swim because his tiny feet could not help. Some chefs wanted to catch some frogs and Frog heard all about it. He decided that he should act like a chef and suggest some excellent meals with his favorite insects. And so the chefs like his cuisine that they talked and ate til they fell asleep.

[Suzanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite children's book in our home, and we have a LOT of books! I just love the rhyming and the unique storyline. Plus, you can't go wrong with a story about a frog and bugs when you are reading to boys. I almost always choose this book to read when I'm a guest reader for my children's class.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, witty rhymes. A favorite among my students

[L. Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a fast talking frog. My daughter enjoyed the rhymes and asked about many of the foods mentioned.

[Amy Gideon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! And you can't help but read the latter half in a French accent.

[Anna Skarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephews love this book! They insist on having it read RIGHT (with the accent), and they love coming up with their own gourmet bug dishes.