(2) PS Illustrated by Kathryn Durst. Loud colors, inflated shapes, and animated details heighten the silliness of this action-packed story full of snacks and predators. It begins peacefully: “Natterjack Toad is smiling. He is happy to be alive! The sky is blue. The water sparkles with pleasure.” Natterjack Toad is about to indulge in his package of “CHOCO-LATE-CHUNK CRUNCHY-MUNCH COOKIES” when a great blue heron appears. Not wanting to become a snack himself, Natterjack Toad hurries away quietly. Every time he thinks he has found a safe spot to enjoy his noisy treat, he encounters a new enemy. A beret-wearing worm, a firefly, and a dragonfly keep things amusing between disruptions, and even the more threatening parts of the story are rendered in the art with exaggerated comedy. After moving two times, Natterjack Toad decides he can wait no longer for his crunchy snack—despite warnings of a nearby forest hog from a “worried little mole” and a “scared-looking vole.” One noisy bite does indeed attract an enormous forest hog who, looming over all the other characters, overtakes the double-page spread. Natterjack Toad has to act quickly to save himself—with some help from his friends. Ultimately his reluctant sacrifice is rewarded, closing this fast-paced, entertaining read-aloud with cookies for everyone.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) PS Toad drives the tow truck for Pop's Garage, his dad's car repair shop. Toad is so busy that he bolts out the front door before the title page, skipping the insect his father has fried for him for breakfast. Vehicular calamities abound. "Catie cat has a flat. Davey dog hit a log. Mayor Hop forgot to stop. Stanley Snout's engine fell out." The punchy text uses short sentences and consistent rhythm with periodic bursts of rhyme, giving this a read-aloud cadence and momentum. The digital illustrations are a blend of spare, subtle, and energetic. Characters and vehicles appear as spot images in textured, relatively subdued hues on white backdrops, creating a warm, calm contrast to the nonstop accidents and Toad's frenzied activity level. When the tow truck breaks down, Toad insists he can handle it himself, but when his efforts end in his kicking the car in frustration ("Wait, Toad -- that's not going to help!"), Toad realizes it's time to call Pop. "Everyone needs help sometimes." With its clear plot, welcome predictability, and straightforward language, this book will be a smash with the preschool crowd while also satisfying the needs of beginning readers.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. In this eccentric volume, Buitrago and Johnson provide suggestions addressing the titular theme. A guileless, wide-eyed frog in black coveralls performs each of the actions, some being generally straightforward ("Sit on a park bench and cut out paper dolls. Leave them as presents all over the place") and ­others more situational ("When you are at your aunt's house, you can free a bird," i.e., her pet. "It will always remember you"). ­Cheerful ­optimism abounds, with occasional welcome hints of pragmatism: "If you find a bee splashing in a fountain, help it out... If it gets angry...just run away. Anyway, what friend doesn't get cranky sometimes?" Every creatively interpreted spread, in subdued hues with rounded shapes and tidy black outlines, is chock-full of friendly-looking, personality-filled creatures of many different species--potential pals, all. And introverts, take heart. The best and most self-empowering advice for those who find themselves depleted after a long day of socializing appears at the end: "But if by late afternoon you get tired of making friends, just be by yourself and forget ­everything that this book has told you to do...learn to be your own best friend."

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Nathan convinces his (divorced) parents to let him stay with his grandmother, Nali (a Navajo word used for paternal relationships, e.g. paternal ­grandparents), in New Mexico during the summer so he can work on a science ­experiment. Nali's mobile home does not have indoor plumbing or electricity, and although this means no ­cellphone for two months, it is better than spending time with his dad and Dad's girlfriend. After planting traditional as well as ­store-bought corn seeds for his experiment, Nathan notices that the traditional seeds are missing. One night he finds a horned toad taking his seeds and follows it into the desert. There he finds a sick water monster. At the same time, Uncle Jet has returned home from the Marines and needs healing as well. Nathan is committed to helping them both. To do that, Nathan must travel to the Third World to meet with the Mother Water Monster. Young does a great job of mixing Navajo lore with current concerns. The water monster represents the many bodies of water that are sick from pollution and overuse; many Navajo men and women have returned home from war sick like Uncle Jet. The book explores how healing must come from both modern and traditional ­medicines. A glossary helps readers ­understand the Navajo words and relationships that are ­important to the story.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Here is a welcome new edition of this iconic, Caldecott Honor–winning easy reader, reissued with a section at the end of seven pages of background material. Fans are treated to glimpses into Lobel's working methods and mindset ("It is a kind of pleasant omnipotence that I feel at the drawing board. There is a little world at the end of my pencil"); see early sketches of beloved characters and a notebook page of scribbled text for chapter one of the book; get an explanation of the three-color art separation process; and see photos of Lobel--as a young man, at work at his desk, with one of his children, acting in a home movie. One quote will surely resonate with all of us, and does much to explain the appeal of Frog and Toad. When asked whether he saw himself more as Frog or more as Toad, Lobel answered, "Both, both. I think everybody is both."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) PS Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. A toad inadvertently sets off on an adventure--and encounters trouble with a bee, cricket, dog, and gust of wind--before finally latching on to a pair of sneakers that return him to his original spot, bringing the story full circle. Chantable rhymed text pairs well with brightly colored art, and the side-of-the-road landscape and its small creatures provide big comedy, excitement, and personality.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(4) PS Illustrated by James Dean. Pete the Kitty--a younger iteration of Pete the Cat introduced in this book--has high hopes for his playdate at Grumpy Toad's house, but his host is having trouble sharing ("That truck is MINE! MINE! MINE!"). In typical Pete-book fashion, the Deans often ignore rhythm to complete a rhyme, but James Dean's art in tie-dye colors gives off a welcoming hippie vibe.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Margherita Borin. Many kinds of frogs and toads at all life stages are realistically illustrated in watercolor, marker pens, and pencil with a level of detail that should attract nature lovers. Geared to mid-elementary-age readers, the engaging text (in various-size type) emphasizes an appreciation for the diversity of these amphibians and the importance of conservation. Back matter suggests how kids can help "save frogs." Ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Gitte Spee. In the fourth Detective Gordon entry, toad Gordon's protégé Buffy realizes that she doesn't know the fate of her mouse family she was separated from when coming to the forest. The detectives set off on an urgent mission, solve the case, and reunite Buffy with her family. The adventure moves along briskly, but deeper issues permeate the story. The future is bright both for the forest police and for readers hoping for another installment.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) K-3 This significantly longer follow-up to A Home for Bird includes three short stories instead of just one. Patient toad Vernon gets some unexpected help from a snail, he goes on a nontraditional fishing outing with Skunk and Porcupine, and his two friends cheer him up when he misses Bird. Unfussy mixed-media illustrations perfectly capture Stead's laidback dry wit and lovable, oddball animal characters.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Meschenmoser's illustrations--copious spot vignettes in watercolor and occasional lush full-page and double-page-spread oil paintings--convey both the humorous high jinks and the warmth of Grahame's classic animal fantasy. There's no shortage of illustrated editions of The Wind in the Willows, but this weighty volume is a fine one.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kathleen Jennings. Johnson captures the essence of Grahame's beloved characters with expertise. When a lady mole and a lady rabbit take up lodgings in a cottage on the River Bank, Mole is disgruntled, Rat is perplexed, and Toad is eager to impress. Miscommunications ultimately give way to grand adventures. Grahame's world is neither disturbed nor transformed, merely richer. Jennings's illustrations perfectly complement the tale.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Gitte Spee. Things have changed in the cozy forest police station since Detective Gordon: A Complicated Case. With Detective Gordon (toad) experimenting with retirement, Buffy (mouse) is acting as chief detective. Gordon finds his life lacks purpose; Buffy misses Gordon's company. Both are too proud to admit their needs until a crisis (two missing kindergartners) brings them together. The tone here is understatedly hilarious, with built-in nuttiness and absurdity.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) PS A toad plays in the street, causing animals to "SKID! SCREECH! BAM!" After crashing their vehicles, each driver tells the toad to move: "What do you think your mama would say?" They find out when Mama drives up in a tow truck. Repetition in the singsongy rhyming text is tiresome but will encourage participation. The Photoshop illustrations are energetic in a cartoony way.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 4-6 During summer near Whistler Mountain in British Columbia, twelve-year-old Seattle native Kestrel comes up with a unique idea to save her grandmother's failing ski lodge from a property developer. A likable character, Kestrel faces mild drama outwardly in her family, and also inwardly as she successfully works to overcome her fears (such as of heights, by taking an unexpectedly exciting gondola ride).

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Critical stages in the American toad's life cycle are lyrically described, telescoping time between days one and 1,099 (when the cycle starts anew with the toad's eggs). Arresting close-up photos of the developmental phases capture the essentials of metamorphosis: eggs, tadpoles, toadlets, and mating adult toads. Back matter includes toad facts and conservation information and discusses Wechsler's experience "Getting the Photos." Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) 4-6 They Don't Belong: Tracking Invasive Species series. This series explores how species can be inadvertently introduced into a balanced ecosystem and how the subsequent non-native overpopulation causes environmental destruction. Brown tree snakes devour native animal species in Guam; Burmese pythons do the same in Florida's Everglades; in Australia, it's cane toads. Brief, accessible texts are supported by lots of crisp photographs on every page. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these They Don't Belong titles: Florida's Burmese Pythons, Guam's Brown Tree Snakes, and Australia's Cane Toads.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi. After a kid traps their mother in a bucket, the beefy toad brothers rush to the rescue, convinced they don't need help from their tiny sister, Teeny. However, when they land in the bucket, too, it's Teeny's ingenuity that (predictably) saves everyone. Large, close-up illustrations lend immediacy to the story, while playful rhymes add pizzazz.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Disgusting Critters series. This humorous, informative volume gives basic facts about toads, including clarification about frogs: "The toad is a type of frog... Toads are frogs that live on land and have drier skin, shorter legs, and stouter bodies." Cartoon illustrations and zany speech-bubble text (re: habitat, "Some live in water, some in trees... 'Some live in your bed! Ha ha, just kidding'") play up the kid-friendly silliness.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Gitte Spee. In their second case, Detective Gordon (an elderly toad) and Police Assistant Buffy (a young mouse) investigate who has been saying "nasty things" to fellow forest creatures. As before, the friends' application of the law is just. Humor and affection in the text and illustrations (loose black line drawings with washes of warm color) make for a thoughtful but light-handed exploration of bullying.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016