Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1984, 1st ed.
Ages: 5 and up
Themes: humorous stories, magic, frogs
Opening: As soon as his parents kissed him goodbye and left, Gorky set up his laboratory by the kitchen sink and got to work.
Summary: (from my library catalog) Clutching the bottle of magic potion he has made, a young frog falls asleep and wakes to find himself floating in the sky.
I like this book because: of the buoyancy of the text – the lyrical prose will float your boat! It is a silly story, but beautifully told – that is ‘the sort of magic’ this story contains.
Resources/activities: this would be a great book to read before a creative writing exercise – for any age. My son’s first grade teacher encouraged kids to use more daring descriptive words (calling them ‘million dollar words’) and this is a great example to ignite young minds with.
Today’s tidbit: the story of Steig’s crying chickens HERE