Frog in a Bog

by John Himmelman

Take a peek into an environment loaded with frogs, bugs, birds, and more. Budding naturalists can find bogs all over--maybe even in their own neighborhoods.

A handy field guide in the back helps young readers identify the plants and animals illustrated throughout the book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

John Himmelman is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including Chickens to the Rescue. He lives in Connecticut with his family.

According John's Facebook page, he has been "making up stories and scribbling pictures since I could hold a crayon in my hand. It became my job in 1981, when my first book, "Talester the Lizard" was published during my last year in college (School of Visual Arts)....It behooves a writer to try and turn what interests them into their work. I've been fortunate to do that with my love of nature, with books - for adults and children - focusing on different natural history topics."

Reviews

[Taylor Parker]

Frog in a Bog was a cute book that in my opinion was written to teach its readers about the cool environment that animals and insects live in. This was not my favorite book but it was very informational. I think this book would help with teaching about this particular subject. It could serve as a resource took for teachers and also a read aloud. I loved how at the end of the book it had pictures of the animals and insects labeled. I think students would really like to look at the pictures and the labels.

[Melissa Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the sense of satisfaction I feel at the end of a circle story--a book whose text ends exactly where it began. And this book didn't let me down. Few books written for early readers accomplish what this one does--showing the chain of events that happens in an ecosystem every day to illustrate the interrelationships among living things. Thsi is a great choice for young nature lovers.

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to read with kids to let them see the variety of plants and animals that live in a wetland and how they affect each other with and without meaning to. I think it would be a great book to use to illustrate food chains and webs in a wetland ecosystem. Entertainment value wasn't high as there isn't really a plot, but for children that love animals, it will be a winner.

[Jacob Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Frog in a Bog" by John Himmelman is a charming and educational children's book that takes readers on a journey through the bog ecosystem with a curious frog as their guide. The vivid illustrations and engaging storyline make this book a great tool for teaching children about the importance of preserving wetland habitats and the diverse array of creatures that call them home.

[Talea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter absolutely loved this book. We had a blast finding all the plants and animals mentioned in the back.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information with some nice drawings in the back to help kids really identify the different animals, but the overall feel of the book is really dated (it was published 20 years ago).

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an informative and fun book about the animals who live in and near a bog. I always knew that there were bogs in New England, but we did a little research and saw how truly widespread they are. The illustrations are very detailed and realistic and we really enjoyed the pages in the back with additional plants and animals to find. Overall, it's a quick book that is both educational and entertaining.

We enjoyed reading it together while we waited for a library program to begin. The book was on display to go along with the nature program which featured plants and animals of the local area. There were a lot of creatures to touch and learn about and we even went on a field trip to check out the plants and critters we could find outside around the library. It was such a beautiful day and I was so fortunate to be able to get out of work a little early and take our girls to this program!

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too didactic for us at age 6.

Covers a wide variety of bog animals and plants. There was a section in the back showing all the animals and plants shown in the book and challenging the reader to find them.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very ecology-oriented book. The illustrations a lovely, just gorgeous. The story is mundane, but it is mainly to just get the child to look carefully at the pages. At the back of the book is a list of bugs, plants, animals for the child to find that weren't outlined in the story.