From Tadpole to Frog (Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science: Stage 1

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1

by Wendy Pfeffer, Holly Keller (Illustrator)

Wendy Pfeffer describes the amazing metamorphosis from tiny, jellylike egg, to little fishy tadpole, to great big bullfrog. Holly Keller has created the archetypal frog pond and we see it through the seasons as the tadpoles grow legs and lungs and eventually hop onto bullfrogs at last. "Well-designed ink drawings washed with soft-toned watercolors stretch across the double-page spreads, showing the action above and below water level. . . .an attractive, general introduction."--BL. 1994 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA) Best Children's Science Books, 1994 (Science Books and Films)

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Wendy Pfeffer is an award winning author of many children’s books. A former teacher and nursery school director, Mrs. Pfeffer lives in Pennington, New Jersey. In addition to writing, she continues to teach writing and visit schools to share her work.

Reviews

[Meghann Sniffen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards the book has received (if any): American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru
Appropriate grade level(s): kindergarten- 2nd
Original 3-line summary: This book describes the life cycle of an egg to a frog. It goes through each stage describing how an egg can go to something such as a fish first, but then turn into a frog. It also goes into detail about its lungs and gills.
Original 3-line review: Just as the butterfly book, this book is really good for children of a younger age who are just starting to get into Science. I really like how this book goes into detail about how an egg goes to a tadpole and then how the tadpole develops all its parts slowly to become a frog.
2-3 possible in-class uses: showing the life cycle of a frog
showing how something starts as an egg and can have two different beings.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: From tadpole to frog
Award: None
Appropriate grade levels: Kindergarten - 1st grade
Summary: This book goes through the cycle of being a frog. First, it is an egg, then a tadpole, and finally a frog. Each season the frog goes through a different stage.
Review: I would give this book a 4, I think that if students are learning about frog this would be a great introductory book. It describes their life cycle and shows pictures that help the students to identify the frog.
Possible in class uses: A possible use for this book is to read it and then have the students do an activity based on the frog life cycle. Another thing you could do is get a bunch of tadpoles and document them throughout the time in class.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This expository informational book (T.A. Terrell, 206) is from a reputable science series for ages 3 to 6 years. It describes accurately in 15 pages of succinct illustrated text the two-year life cycle of the American bullfrog. The text avoids condescension and invites the reader to partner in observation. The images are colorful, two-page panoramic watercolors and ink. The large sans-serif font is well-placed in lighter open areas of the pages adjacent to the scene it describes. For these reasons, the book is a high-quality example (Ibid., 19-23) of science publication for its specified audience. : )

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the transition that a tadpole makes as it becomes a frog. The reader gets to see the frog life cycle as it experiences it from hatching out of an egg to turning into a frog. Books about animals and life cycles can always be formatted to fit a lesson plan. I think it would be cute to read this book and have a discussion afterward on the life stages that we got to see the frog transition to. I also love the terminology included throughout the book. It was laid out in a way that is easily understood for young children and students.

[Morgan Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think discussing the life cycle of a frog is very common in elementary school and this is the perfect book to talk about it. The text is detailed in it descriptions and not to scientific allowing for students to easily imagine and understand. I like that the pictures are cartoon and not photos it is makes it my kid friendly. The cartoons are very well done and detailed so students can better understand the text. If I had to pick a book about the life style of a frog I am definitely picking this one.

[Lindsay Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the life cycle of the frog. As frogs come out of hibernation from the winter the males call out for the females to mate. Thousands of eggs are fertilized and become tiny tadpoles. The tadpoles grow and hibernate. When spring comes around the tadpoles sprout into frogs, losing their tails and growing larger.

This is a good book to describe the life cycle in the classroom. The illustrations are well and clear, I even learned something new! (Frogs hibernate in winter!)

[Karen Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards: None
Grade Levels: Kindergarten-first grade
Summary: The informational life cycle of a frog is described. The frog starts as an egg, to a tadpole to a frog and also explains how the different seasons effect the stage.
Review: This is a great introduction to life cycles of frogs. The text has vocab that should be pointed out and further explained.
Activities: As a class, have a few tadpoles in a tank and have the chldren document the life cycle of the tadpole turning into a frog.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice loves books about nature and animals. That said, this one was very long, detailing the entire life cycle of the American bullfrog from conception to death. It took two days. The illustrations were very good. Alice felt the need to explain each page prior to reading it based on the pictures. We also learned a couple of new reading words, like "fertilizes" and "brownish-speckled."

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of books have been excellent for the kids. Great illustrations, easy reads, and they teach basic science. This one wasn’t as good as the Arctic Fox but still really enjoyable. Probably would be more of a 4-5 star book if you had younger kids (ages 3-5). Felt a little less interesting for my slightly older kids.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The females hear the call. The male hugs his mate. He fertilizes her eggs as she lays them in the water." (10)

You should see the illustration!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

3.0

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frogs

[Alexander]

Oh

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where are all the frogs hiding? My kinder little could tell you.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid story of frog lifecycles. America-focused. My kid says 5 stars.

[R. L. Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book for homeschoolers! Perfect for introducing Frogs to kiddos!

[ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

masterful

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows how frogs transform from eggs to tadpoles and eventually into frogs. I did not realize that some frogs take upwards of two years to make this complete transformation.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my Kindergartners today to follow up on what they learned about the life cycle of a frog this week. It is a very good book with simple language and clear illustrations to facilitate readers' understanding of what stages the frogs are going through from when they are born a tadpole to until they become an adult frog. The metamorphoses of the frog's life can be described easily after reading this story. I specifically loved how the four seasons are mentioned as well as what is happening to the frogs in those seasons. For example in winter, the frogs are hibernating at the bottom of the pond. This provides many opportune moments to talk about seasons and changes in weather. Overall a great book to add to your non-fiction collection for kids.

[Joey Zadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book because it tells the life cycle of a frog in a very colorful way with great illustrations! Wendy Pfeffer takes the reader all the way from a mere tadpole all the way up to a big frog. I like the way that she goes through the life cycle in an educational way while still using language that kids can relate to and enjoy!
This is a great read aloud book while doing a science unit over life cycle and about a tadpole transforming into a frog! As an independent read, this book could be used by a student who is having trouble understanding the life cycle of a frog and might need a graphic visual aid to assist in the learning of the life cycle. This book uses non-fiction conventions because it uses chronological order to go through the life of a frog.

[Katherine Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very basic and easy to understand approach to topic that can be confusing. Despite new vocabulary words like Metamorphosis and Froglet, my third graders really grasped the concept. Many of my student's had heard of tadpoles and all had heard of frogs so they were excited for the topic. The book offers great images to illustrate each phase of the frog's life cycle. I assigned each student a phase and they drew and wrote a small paragraph about their phase. Great book for life sciences!

[Lucia Benzor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about the life cycle of a frog. It tells you facts about frogs and how they grow. We liked this book because it was funny. A funny part was when the tadpoles were munching on the plants. We loved learning a lot of new things about frogs. We think the author wrote this book so that we could learn more about frogs. We think that other kids would like this book because it can make them smarter. ANY person that likes frogs will love this book! We would also recommend this book for anyone who likes non-fiction.

[Landon Rotolo-Utz · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Tadpole to Frog is an information book that covers the life cycle of frogs. It starts from the egg and works its way to the frog stage. The book uses great vocabulary and would be good for read alouds and independent reading. I'd use this for a science lesson and could very easily add art. The illustrations are great and will help for engaging students. My favorite part of this text is the end where there are illustrations and extra information on different species of frogs.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great information about frogs. I wanted to read this book because I was curious to learn more than what I already know about frogs. I was not disappointed since I learned that frogs hibernate in the winter at the bottom of the pond in the mud. I think my students would enjoy this book as well.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

William was interested in the frog life cycle and we had just visited the pond. Our librarian found exactly what I wanted: Nonfiction that reads like a story. Art reminds me of Nancy Tafuri, which was nice. Be forwarded: Frog sex. I had just given my kids just about the same explaination a few days prior, so they didn't bat an eye.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great book to use when teaching life cycle. This book takes the reader through the growth from egg to bullfrog. The students would be able to see how the frog changes as the seasons change. The pictures are detailed and it doesn't read like a science book.

[Caitlin Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction book does a great job of teaching children about the life cycle of a frog. It has a gross out factor when describing the egg and the metamorphosis of a frog. This would be a great book to incorporate to your students about the life cycle.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok,but it was int my farvrit

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book that has simple text, and great illustrations, this will be a wonderful book to use when learning life cycles.

[Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

For kindergarten children, I would use this book for science to explain to children the transformation of a tadpole into a frog. In addition, explain the characteristics of a tadpole and a frog.