Frog learns to enjoy winter in this charming book from the Frog series.
Frog is taken by surprise when winter comes. He doesn't understand why everything is covered with white and he skids and slips on the icy pond. He is too cold to take part in any of the joyous fun that Duck is having skating or that Hare is having throwing snowballs. The animals band together to equip Frog for enjoying winter, and later they share in his rejoicing when spring arrives.
Reviews:
Frog "is astonished, one morning, to find the world white and the river frozen. Though Duck tries to teach him to skate and Hare lauds the virtues of jogging, Frog continues to shiver. Still, his sympathetic friends build Frog a fire, tuck him into bed, and ply him with hot soup; and he does make it through to spring. The simple, gracefully told story is nicely extended in the award-winning Dutch artist's beautifully designed compositions....Charming."--Kirkus Reviews.
Velthuijs's winning amphibian here confronts the perplexities of winter--a bone-numbing season if one lacks the protective feathers of Duck, or the fat of Pig, or the nice warm fur of Hare. Half-frozen and miserable, Frog can only look on while the others enjoy skating or a snowball fight; but when his friends take matters in hand and ensure that he has a blazing fire, hot soup, a cozy new sweater and abundant companionship, he comes to appreciate many of the season's pleasures. Neatly framed oils in a gently droll style admirably suit Velthuijs's low-key plot and characters. His simple, sure lines deftly depict the animals' changing emotions, from Frog's bewilderment, dismay, despair and--eventually--contentment, to his friends' solicitous concern. The story's message is likewise understated but genuine: by pulling together, friends can transform even the bleakest scenario, and the effort proves worthwhile all around. Publishers Weekly