Ready… Set… Frog!

Ready…Set…Frog! is an adorable story that teaches young readers and listeners a valuable lesson. Frog is a youngster who becomes very excited when his mother tells him that there will be a neighborhood fair the following week. And at this fair, there will be an obstacle course! Now, Frog loves nothing more than an obstacle course because he loves a good challenge. Immediately, he sets out with a plan to practice his skills so that he can win on the day of the challenge.

The first thing I noticed in this book was the beautiful illustrations that went right along with the dialogue and story as it was being told. Frog’s expressions, in particular, were so cute and genuine and I feel that young readers will really get a good giggle as they watch him not only create his makeshift obstacle course but also help his friends with some of their own challenges along the way.

The first friend who calls upon Frog is Mole. Mole needs help getting one more apple for his apple pie. Frog is able to bounce high enough to get the perfect apple for Mole. What a great friend! The next day, he must help his friend Giraffe put a hat on. Getting that hat on just right ends up being not so easy as Giraffe has him adjust it several times. As Frog walks home from school, his friend Kitten needs help getting across the pond. He helps her but it takes time out of his jumping practice to do so. When he finally gets home, Frog is a little deflated and tells his Mom that he doesn’t want to enter the contest any more because he didn’t have time to practice. His Mom tells him that even though he didn’t get to practice the way that he had planned, if he recalled how he helped his friends, jumping up the tree, climbing up to place a hat, and jumping across lily pads, he actually did practice the skills he needed for the contest. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as we plan, but they can still work out in the end.

Ready…Set…Frog! teaches children this great lesson in time management and being able to accept different ways of doing things. As Frog’s Mom says in the book, “It’s OK to say no sometimes.” This is a valuable lesson in making sure your own needs and wants get prioritized even though helping friends is a nice thing to do. It’s all about creating balance!

Overall, I found this book to be a wonderful read with sweet animal characters, gorgeous, colorful illustrations, and important life lessons to be learned and practiced. I would love to see Frog and his friends in future children’s books by Author Katharine Mitropoulos and Illustrator Laura Watson.