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137th out of 731 books
—
1,562 voters
Tadpole's Promise
Where the willow tree meets the water, a tadpole met a caterpillar.
They gazed into each other's tiny eyes...and fell in love.
"I love everything about you," said the caterpillar.
"Promise you'll never change." And foolishly the tadpole promised...
But we all know that tadpoles don't stay the same, and neither do caterpillars.
Will they still be able to love each other?
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
May 17th 2005
by Atheneum Books
(first published April 24th 2003)
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We had this book discussed in one of the philosophy thinking sessions. Analyzing it was pretty interesting but i think it's a bit too abstract or complex for children younger than 4th grade!
The ending was meanly SHOCKING to absolutely everyone.. Soooo unexpected !
I loved the drawings, they're very simple and and colors are beautifully childish !
The ending was meanly SHOCKING to absolutely everyone.. Soooo unexpected !
I loved the drawings, they're very simple and and colors are beautifully childish !
"Where the willow meets the water a tadpole met a caterpillar"... He is her 'shiney black pearl' and she his 'beautiful rainbow'. They instantly fall in love and the caterpillar makes the tadpole promise he will never change, but as sure as the seasons change the tadpole gradually turns into a frog! The heartbroken caterpillar forgives him the first time when he grows legs, gives him a second chance when he grows arms but draws the line after the third time he breaks his promise when he loses hi...more
I really liked this book until the end! I was expecting them to fall in love again in the new and changed forms but no Tadpole just eats Caterpillar right up! Other than the ending awesome book!
Summary-
There is a tadpole and a caterpillar and they fall in love. The caterpillar tells the tadpole he must never change though. The next time they see each other the tadpole has grown legs. The caterpillar gets upset and tells him he must promise her again that he will never change. The next time they...more
Summary-
There is a tadpole and a caterpillar and they fall in love. The caterpillar tells the tadpole he must never change though. The next time they see each other the tadpole has grown legs. The caterpillar gets upset and tells him he must promise her again that he will never change. The next time they...more
This is the story of the friendship between a tadpole and a caterpillar. The caterpillar tells the tadpole that she loves him the way he is. He promises her that he will never change. However, throughout the book the tadpole is unable to keep his promise as he matures into a frog. The book has a tragi-comic ending in which the frog eats his friend, while waiting for her to return, because he fails to recognise that she has matured into a butterfly!
I enjoyed this book and think it would be great...more
I enjoyed this book and think it would be great...more
Absolutely love this gem of a story; illustrations extend beyond the words, letting children construct their own stories & the lyrical prose is captivatingly perfect for reading aloud. I've read some of the reviews on here regarding the humorous twist to this love story, and I'm obviously a fan. While we each must make our own choice regarding appropriateness, I'd like to say that we adults often underestimate the resilient nature of children & their ability to love a story for its own s...more
The tadpoles promise follows a caterpillar and a tadpole who fall in love. They both make a promise to each other to never change. However, “just as the wind changes” the tadpole unavoidably transforms into a frog. The caterpillar cannot believe her beloved tadpole has broken his promise and so eventually leaves him in sheer disappointment only to cry herself to sleep.
However, again just as the weather changes the caterpillar finds herself to have transformed into a butterfly. She eventually acc...more
However, again just as the weather changes the caterpillar finds herself to have transformed into a butterfly. She eventually acc...more
Caroline: www.bigbooklittlebook.blogspot.com
A rainbow and a pearl fell in love. The rainbow requested her beloved pearl, to promise to never change. Unfortunately Pearl was destined to break his promise, as he was a tadpole and his love Rainbow, a caterpillar.
Obviously not a fan of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 (“...Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds...” ) Rainbow becomes increasingly distressed and peeved at the physical changes she observes in her beau each time they meet. Pear...more
A rainbow and a pearl fell in love. The rainbow requested her beloved pearl, to promise to never change. Unfortunately Pearl was destined to break his promise, as he was a tadpole and his love Rainbow, a caterpillar.
Obviously not a fan of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 (“...Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds...” ) Rainbow becomes increasingly distressed and peeved at the physical changes she observes in her beau each time they meet. Pear...more
This book honestly took me by surprise. It was adorable, however, the ending was a little shocking, especially for a children's book. This story was about a tadpole and a caterpillar falling in love. They fell in love when they were young and their bodies were still immature. The caterpillar called her love a black pearl and the tadpole called his love a rainbow. The caterpillar asked the tadpole to promise to never change. Unfortunately, as the seasons grew on he broke his promise three times b...more
I am a currently a LSA in a SEN school and this book was to read to six year five pupils. I have chosen this book to review due to the unexpected ending, which is unusual for the majority of children’s books of this type. The book was chosen as it covers the topic of change, the current curriculum topic theme. The story also has good cross curricular links to science with a life cycle theme and PSHE with issues such as separation anxiety and death. This book in my opinion is also an excellent re...more
I liked this book and although its not the best book for cross-curricular links I think it is an excellent resource for Science sessions. It could be used after a session of pond dippping at the farm, as it covers the topic of life cycle.
It is a story of a tadpole who falls in love with a caterpillar, they make a prommise to eachother that they will never change. Not long after making that promise, the tadpole begins to alter in appearance as he turns into a frog. The caterpillar becomes very di...more
It is a story of a tadpole who falls in love with a caterpillar, they make a prommise to eachother that they will never change. Not long after making that promise, the tadpole begins to alter in appearance as he turns into a frog. The caterpillar becomes very di...more
Dec 12, 2011
Kara Roberts
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
african-american,
early-readers,
fantasy,
fear,
life-cycle,
light-humor,
love,
nature,
picture-book,
relationships
A zany, unpredictable picture book from this best-selling and hilarious author/illustrator couple.
Tadpole loves his rainbow friend, the caterpillar, and she tells him she loves everything about him.
“Promise that you will never change,” she says.
But as the seasons pass and he matures, his legs grow, and then his arms – and what happens to his beautiful rainbow friend? As he sits on his lily pad, digesting the butterfly he has just eaten, he little realizes that now he will never know!
Follow the o...more
Tadpole loves his rainbow friend, the caterpillar, and she tells him she loves everything about him.
“Promise that you will never change,” she says.
But as the seasons pass and he matures, his legs grow, and then his arms – and what happens to his beautiful rainbow friend? As he sits on his lily pad, digesting the butterfly he has just eaten, he little realizes that now he will never know!
Follow the o...more
This book is about a tadpole and a caterpillar who love each other very much. The caterpillar tells the tadpole to promise that he will never change. As the tadpole got older, he changed into a frog and the caterpillar gets very upset that the tadpole didn't keep his promise so she goes off and forms a cocoon. The caterpillar later turns into a butterfly and finds a frog and the frog, being the older tadpole that the caterpillar once loved, eat the butterfly. The frog then wonders where the cate...more
Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross write a story about a shiny black tadpole and a rainbow caterpillar that fall in love with each other. By while evolution takes its course and the two both begin to change into their adult shapes, they soon do not recognize one another. Each individual was broken hearted after losing a friend, even though they were together the whole time. I really enjoyed how the story was told landscape style and not like majority of the books. The illustrator has a talent for creat...more
My brother and nieces (3 and 5) made me read this. I thought I could guess what was going to happen...tadpole turns into a frog, caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Sure enough, they do...and then WHAT? Unexpected ending!
My nieces loved watching my surprise and shock, thought it was hilarious. My older niece commented in her very grown up way: (view spoiler)
My brother said that they took the book in their stride and weren't bothered by it a...more
My nieces loved watching my surprise and shock, thought it was hilarious. My older niece commented in her very grown up way: (view spoiler)
My brother said that they took the book in their stride and weren't bothered by it a...more
A wonderful and unpredictable tale about the love between a tadpole and a caterpillar.
They both take a vowel to never change. But as time goes by nature takes its course and the tadpole matures into a ribbeting frog!
At the same time the butterfly matures too!
One day the frog is sitting on his lily pad and sees a scrumptious butterfly and he quickly gobbles it up....
The next day he sits and waits for his love.
what has he done?
Read the book to find out!
I absolutely enjoyed this book. Its got humo...more
They both take a vowel to never change. But as time goes by nature takes its course and the tadpole matures into a ribbeting frog!
At the same time the butterfly matures too!
One day the frog is sitting on his lily pad and sees a scrumptious butterfly and he quickly gobbles it up....
The next day he sits and waits for his love.
what has he done?
Read the book to find out!
I absolutely enjoyed this book. Its got humo...more
I went to a workshop on books boys will want to read. This is one of the many titles that the presenter turned me on to.
The book is very simple. The format is great, the pictures are fun, but the story is the real selling point. The story progresses between a tadpole and caterpillar that have fallen in love. But as the tadpole begins to change, the butterfly doubts that he is seriously in love. The end of the book is hilarious and totally caught me off guard.
I have read this to my fifth grader...more
The book is very simple. The format is great, the pictures are fun, but the story is the real selling point. The story progresses between a tadpole and caterpillar that have fallen in love. But as the tadpole begins to change, the butterfly doubts that he is seriously in love. The end of the book is hilarious and totally caught me off guard.
I have read this to my fifth grader...more
Not for the faint-at-heart adult, but great for every child with a sadistic side (and what child doesn't have a hidden or not-so-hidden sadistic side), including every first-grade boy in the world. I read with a high, squeaky voice for the caterpillar and a low, stopped-up-nose voice for the tadpole. Read around Valentine's Day, if possible...introduce by asking who likes mushy love stories, then tell them that this isn't one. Great when paired with a lesson on life cycles. Read aloud to the gro...more
The other reviews say it better than I can. The shocking ending is hilarious, but I really wanted it to be a nice story about inner beauty. Recommended for adults - but read it yourself before sharing it with little ones. The pragmatic approach to relationships is refreshing, though. As Shel Silverstein reminds us (more tactfully) in the superb The Missing Piece, not everyone is going to find a fairy-tale style Happily Ever After.
One of the librarians I work with mentioned this weeks ago, but we didn't have a copy. When our inter library loaned copy arrived, we took a break from making bags for the preschoolers to read it. We kept the twist to ourselves and passed it on to the next unsuspecting person, until the whole office had read it. There was a pretty even split in terms of how it was received and I fell on the side who loved the dark humor. I love picture books that are as much for, if not more for, the adults in a...more
Umm, wow. What to say about this one. Surprising, certainly. Also sort of disturbing. Humorously disturbing, maybe. Maybe not. I can't decide how I feel about it. I'm not upset for the butterfly, but I feel really bad for poor oblivious frog. My kids weren't sure what to make of it either--they chuckled at the end, but then looked really uncomfortable about the whole situation. Not one I see us reading many times. My guess is that the author went through a pretty rough relationship.
This is the best picture book EVER. I found this sometime in college when I was student teaching and I read it to my high school senior students. They were baffled, saddened and confused. Eighteen year old boys said, "That's messed up." Ever since then I've read it to all the classes I taught. I've read it to my boyfriend, roommates, and several coworkers. I need to carry a copy of it with me in my car, because you never know when you'll find a chance to read it to someone. SO GOOD.
"Where the willow meets the water, a tadpole met a caterpillar. They gazed into each other's tiny eyes ... and fell in love. She was his beautiful rainbow, and he was her shiny black pearl."
So starts this sweet but funny book that's perfect for 1st graders. Tadpole and caterpillar have found their true loves, and caterpillar says, "Promise me that you'll never change." But tadpole keeps changing (growing legs, etc.) and caterpillar gets very angry. Finally, caterpillar goes off in a huff with h...more
So starts this sweet but funny book that's perfect for 1st graders. Tadpole and caterpillar have found their true loves, and caterpillar says, "Promise me that you'll never change." But tadpole keeps changing (growing legs, etc.) and caterpillar gets very angry. Finally, caterpillar goes off in a huff with h...more
Oh My Gosh! Where to begin...
When I started reading, I was like "ugh...this is going to be dumb." The ending was TOTALLY unexpected though. It was very sadistic and humorous. I think older kids would find this hilarious, but I think younger kids would cry.
The pictures and format are fun and unique.
This book isn't for everyone, but it sure gave me and my husband a good shock and laugh.
When I started reading, I was like "ugh...this is going to be dumb." The ending was TOTALLY unexpected though. It was very sadistic and humorous. I think older kids would find this hilarious, but I think younger kids would cry.
The pictures and format are fun and unique.
This book isn't for everyone, but it sure gave me and my husband a good shock and laugh.
Tadpole's Promise explains the changes that frogs and butterflies go through to reach maturity through a love story. A tadpole and a caterpillar fall in love, but it is a love that is doomed to fail. This is a very funny book that I would love to have as part of my library for 1st and 2nd graders. I think kids would really enjoy it. I could also use it as part of a lesson on metamorphosis.
If you're thinking this sounds similar to The caterpillar and the polliwog, you are right. But the surprise ending may make you choke on your coffee. This would be a great read-aloud for 4th-6th grade.
"She was his beautiful rainbow, and he was her shiny black pearl."
"She was his beautiful rainbow, and he was her shiny black pearl."
This book reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, what started with love ends up with defeat. The moral of the story is that things change, and change is not always a bad thing. This is a silly story that would be fun to read to the classroom; and could even be used when talking about diversity and loving the qualities someone else has that are different from your own.
This love tale toddles along, repetitive and very much the cute picture book.
Then NATURE leaps upon our lovebirds with a lesson in animal behaviour (suggested read --> Life of Pi).
We are what we are. Don't anthropomorphise our beloved animals. Here endeth the lesson.
Then NATURE leaps upon our lovebirds with a lesson in animal behaviour (suggested read --> Life of Pi).
We are what we are. Don't anthropomorphise our beloved animals. Here endeth the lesson.
Another picture book perfect for discussion with children of all ages though the younger ones might be horrified by the ending. What a perfect book for talking about relationships and promises with upper elementary and even middle school students! Of course, you could also take a scientific look at the surprising changes that afflict the characters . . .
A tadpole and a caterpillar fell in love...and told each other to never change. But...they're a TADPOLE. And a CATERPILLAR. So what do you think happened? They changed...with disastrous consequences. If you like the sick humor of picture books such as "Barry, the Fish With Fingers," you'll enjoy this! And hopefully, so will some kids!
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Jeanne Willis was born in St Albans and trained as an advertising copywriter at Watford College. She worked for various agencies creating press adverts and TV, cinema and radio commercials. She is now a full-time writer and has published over 80 books. Her hobbies include gardening, reading (non-fiction), natural history and collecting caterpillars. Jeanne has also worked on scripts for TV, includ...more
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Dec 27, 2011 12:29pm
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