Frog is Sad

Kikker

by Max Velthuijs

This is the twelfth picture book about Frog and his friends – now in paperback

Frog is feeling miserable and he cannot see why. Nobody has upset him, and nothing in particular has gone wrong, but he still feels blue. Can any of his friends, Duck, Hare, Rat or Pig help raise a smile? Then one of them makes him laugh – and suddenly he realizes he’s not sad any more. And he still doesn’t know why!

A perfect book to explore the emotions and moods, with the under 5s.

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Max Velthuijs was a celebrated Dutch illustrator, painter, and author best known for his beloved Frog picture book series. Although he began illustrating children’s books relatively late in life, his work quickly gained international acclaim. His first major success came with A is een aapje in 1964, and he achieved global recognition with Frog in Love, published in 1989 by Andersen Press after it was initially rejected in Europe. The Frog series, which eventually included over twenty titles, became known for its gentle, heartfelt storytelling and philosophical depth, earning Velthuijs comparisons to modern-day fables.
Throughout his career, Velthuijs collaborated with prominent publishers and saw his books translated and performed in various media, including theater. In 2004, he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for writing—one of the highest honors in children’s literature—for his enduring contribution to the field. In his acceptance speech, Velthuijs humbly reflected on the emotional complexity of his characters, acknowledging the mystery of creative inspiration. He passed away in his hometown of The Hague in 2005.

Reviews

[Glenn Wesseling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kikker is bedroefd, maar weet niet waarom. Mooi dat een vriend zoals rat daarbij kan helpen. Al is het me niet helemaal duidelijk waarom kikker opeens weer vrolijk was. Gelukkig eindigt het verhaal weer goed.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Frog and the Treasure by Max Velthuijs- Children’s book with coloured illustrations- A frog woke up in the morning. He was feeling sad but he was not the reason for his sad mood. He came out of his house and visited the garden. His friend young bear arrived and made an attempt to make him laugh but he failed. After the young bear left, his friend rat arrived. To him, frog replied that I am not sick but I am sad. Rat danced and showed funny tricks but the frog did not smile. Rat brought a violin and play tunes for him. The frog felt sad and wept on listening to the music. After the frog wept, his heart was calm. He smiled and laughed. His friends the Duck, the Rabbit, the Pig joined them soon. Moral of the story is the importance of friendship in life. Children go through different moods. We they meet their friends, they share their grief and happiness with them. Parents must provide space for children to meet their friends. I have read this book in Hindi. Coloured illustrations help the reader to identify themselves with the text of the story.

[Fabio Saraiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adoro como as avaliações daqui são técnicas. Eu simplesmente leio o livro e compartilho o que achei. Simples assim. Com esse não vai ser diferente. Esse é para aqueles dias em que a gente está se sentindo triste sem saber o porquê, e acaba melhorando depois que a gente chora, ou dá vazão e espaço para um sentimento de tristeza de fato tomar conta de você por algum tempo. E você chora. Chora até a última lágrima escorrer pela sua bochecha. Depois você só fica bem. Tudo o que você precisava era se emocionar um pouco.

[Joëlle Kuik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kikker is bedroefd, maar weet niet waarom. Mooi dat een vriend zoals rat daarbij kan helpen. Al is het me niet helemaal duidelijk waarom kikker opeens weer vrolijk was.
leuk boek om voor te lezen voor kleine kinderen!

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

3yo likes this

[nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

you need to feel the sadness til you don't anymore. that was so beautiful.

[Leeni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nimensä mukaisesti Sammakko on surullinen, kunnes ei enää ole. Ei kovin ihmeellinen aikuislukijalle, mutta omalla tavallaan aika liikkis. Tämä lienee klassikkosarja, mutta en muista koskaan lukeneeni näitä aiemmin.

[Carola · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read this book for a language challenge, hence the language-y details)

过的弗洛格 (Nánguò de Fúluògē) by Max Velthuijs is a children's book originally written in Dutch (Kikker is Bedroefd), and the English title is Frog is Sad . I have never read it in any of the other languages though. The book is about Frog, who feels sad but doesn't now why. His friends Little Bear and Old Rat (I don't know if these are their names in other languages!) try to cheer him up, but it's not working, until... Well, you'll have to read for yourself haha.

I was surprised how readable this book is! This was my very first book in Chinese, ever. I had to look up a few words (like 'violin', 'mood', 'duck', 'crazy'), but with that new vocabulary it went well. My Chinese is still quite basic, but reading comprehension is my strong point and that was quite obvious while I was reading. Along with my good old Pleco dictionary app I was set. Pinyin (pronunciation) in the text was helpful too, particularly when looking up words.

I'd definitely recommend Max Velthuijs' Frog series for beginners, as far as children's books go. The stories are aimed at children, obviously, but they're quite nice. I believe the books have been translated into quite a few languages.

[Dee-Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is about a frog who is sad for no reason and despite many attempts of friends to cheer him up. Eventually the situation resolves itself, but overall the book makes you feel sad. I can see the place of this book, in that it shows children that you can feel sad for no apparent reason, and it will likely pass, but ??? My autistic son found the sad frog interesting in the beginning, but he lost interest after a while ...