Leap Back Home to Me

PreS-K—In bouncy rhymes, a mother frog encourages her child to leap out into the world and explore in increasingly wider circles. She assures him that no matter how far he goes, she will always be waiting for him when he returns. And there she is—on a lily pad, with dinner or crayons, stories or a hug. The watercolor and ink illustrations feature a goofily exuberant and bug-eyed frog flying, flipping, and hurdling across beasts, bugs, flowers, water, hilltops, mountains, clouds, and even the sun and stars. The uncluttered pictures, featuring one line per page, keep the focus on the young frog as he explodes across the spreads—against a cool blue sky, a rainbow, and finally a purplish starscape. The author/illustrator team brings a light touch to a weighty subject.—Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI