Tale of a Tadpole

by Karen Wallace

Describes the development of a tadpole

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Reference

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1998

Reviews

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It says I owned this book back in 2004, but the ‘I read this’ box at the end isn’t ticked, so, time to amend that mistake.

A brilliantly written book about the life of a tadpole. I cried when he missed the fly, but alas, he learns that he needs to be speedier, like when earlier in the book (as a tadpole) he was speedy enough to escape the beetle.

Two decades too late I am, for alas I feel I am above the level 1 reading bracket, I do wonder if I ever read this as a kid. Oh well.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DK Readers Beginning to Read book, this was the best non-fiction book we read that carefully showed the lifecycle of a frog. The photos of the eggs and tadpoles were very interesting and makes this book worth checking out again in the future.

[Jordan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Would highly recommend to read to your kids. My daughter loves it so much and always brings it to me to read. It’s a great educational book to read to the little ones and heck even for adults. I learned so much about tadpoles from this book. Couldn’t recommend more!!!

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a a true story for a beginning reader about how a tadpole is born and grows into a full-sized frog.
It should be fascinating for a young child.

[Kelley Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great non-fiction book. Good use of photographs and text features, lots of facts

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book with good pictures that makes it easy to explain a frog's life cycle to a kid. One part that was completely unnecessary was the "build a frog home" project. Just imagine the disappointment, when a kid builds this little "house" in the garden, but a frog never comes to live in it.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my wife. She is a pediatric speech therapist and has used this book with some of her patients during therapy. The book tells the story of the life cycle of a frog, from tadpole to full grown frog. The close up photos show detail to support vocabulary words and the simple text is easy to follow. The photos and text support one another to tell the story of the frog.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book to my 4th graders. It has great pictures. I learned something. They liked it. I was so excited to see tadpoles with external gills because I didn't know that was a thing!

Guess what!! It is NOT a thing!!! The externally gilled "tadpoles" are SALAMANDERS!

I was so irritated. I have a tadpole at home. He has been with me for a year, and he has been my Covid buddy. (He is now starting metamorphosis.) I had never seen a tadpole with external gills. You know why?! Because they DON'T!!! I told my kids how excited I was about it, and they thought it was pretty cool.

I came home and Googled images because I wanted to know how to get one. They are SALAMANDERS!!!

The picture in the book matches my huge tadpole, except the GILLS! I had to go tell my students that a nonfiction book LIED! I proved it to them. Hey, if you can show me the definition of a tadpole as having external gills or proving tadpoles have them, I'll totally change my review. (Update: I have changed my review because I did find information about how up until 10mm they have external gills; however, this does not match the photo in the book. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-... I have updated to 2 stars and have noted it in the actual book in my classroom.)

One of my kids yelled out, "Throw that book across the room. And then BURN it!!" Wow! Angry little guy!

Sad thing is that the rest of the book is terrific. I really enjoyed reading it out loud. The kids enjoyed me reading it to them like they were Kindergartners. They giggled and giggled. But a book that LIES....I cannot give that higher than a 1 star rating! (Update, now rated 2 stars as per above.)

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a DK Level. Beginning to read book. While there ARE some simple sight words and words that folllw beginning basic phonics, this is a book that will need to be read with an experienced reader.

This book gives an excellent explanation of the life cycle of a tadpole. The photographs ( illustrations; it is hard to tell which) are,excellent. There is a picture word list/ glossary at the end of the book.

I consider this a "meaty" book for early readers to learn about a more grown up subject in nature, something that they might actually go out and find in a pond or shallow parts of a lake.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful photographs illustrating the life cycle of a frog--from egg, to tadpole, and various stages between tadpole and frog. Inset photos provide closer looks at key vocabulary words, such as the webbed toes and gills. The images in this book worked well with my document camera/projector set up.

I read this one paired with one of the Froggy fiction titles by London and Fowler's Frogs and Toads and Tadpoles Too. Would have given this title five starts if it had included a traditional index instead of a photo "words you know".

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to introduce children to the world of frogs. Our girls learned about the life cycle of a frog in school, so they were already "experts" on this topic. But they still really enjoyed reading this book and were able to talk about the different stages a frog goes through as it grows. Good book to read aloud and great for early readers.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the clear photographs used in the DK Eyewitness series. This is no exception and reading this to our boys and seeing the life cycle of a frog in this one brings back all the memories of catching tadpoles as a child.

[Children's Literature Project · Rating 5 out of 5]

DRA:16

The book explores all the stages of the frog lifecycle in simple sentences and with real pictures. It also shows the perils tadpoles go through in the pond before they become adult frogs. Great for teaching science.

[Tony Petry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book for kids to learn but I already new the information in this book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter would rate this a 5, to read over and over.

[Jo Miller]

A good easy reader explaining how a tadpole becomes a frog. Pictures are close up so it is easy to see the details of what everything is. Words are large and easy to follow.