by David Wiesner. Picture Book. 32 pages. Grades PreK-8.
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There are very few words in this delightful book. Even before the title page we are aware that frogs—one frog at least—is levitating in the marsh. After the title page, we join a pond turtle as he looks up in amazement. The book proper begins at sundown where text says: "Tuesday evening, around eight." By now frogs, on their lily pads, are flying through the air.
The frogs start flying solemnly at first and then with increasing glee as they fly through the town, entering houses, startling dogs and one man enjoying a midnight snack. The time is the only text given as the night continues. As dawn approaches, the pads and the frogs they bear fly lower and lower until the pads fall to earth and the frogs leap back to their pond, leaving the villagers to wonder at the lily pads left behind. The last page gives the time as "Next Tuesday, seven fifty-eight p.m." and we see shadows of flying pigs on a barn door.
This is a picture book which appeals to a wide age range and its possibilities are endless. It's an example of puzzle (rather than crime) mysteries.