I Saw a Bullfrog

by Ellen Stern

Everyone knows what a bullfrog looks like . . . and a catfish. Don’t they? What if these creatures looked just like their names–half one animal and half another? Here’s an imaginary menagerie–from the cowbird to the zebra fish–richly illustrated in full color and with stunning detail. Each animal is introduced by a poem that speculates about what such a curiously named creature might be like. Also included is a glossary of facts about the real animals that inspired the author to create the imaginary ones.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Lv2readB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stern, E. (2003). I saw a bullfrog. New York: Random House.

Summary:
Compound and two-part animal names (like bullfrog, catfish, dragonfly) are shown in fantastical illustrations, along with a first-person questioning and commenting on each “animal” within a four-line rhyming poem.
The last few pages of the book contain factual descriptions and information for each animal.

Reviews/Awards:
Horn Book Guide 10/1/2003
School Library Journal 5/1/2003
Booklist 3/1/2003

Curriculum Connection:
Science: first graders studying animals use this book to generate interest and connect to the science unit. After researching animals, this book is read aloud. Then students get to be creative! Putting two animal pictures together, the first graders name their new animals and describe how they would act differently with their new bodies. Idea borrowed from Children’s Literature in Action by Sylvia M. Vardell, pg. 237.

Grades: K-4

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun premise of what animals might look like if they actually resembled the creatures they're named after. To make an entire book, the author ended up using some obscure animals that I wasn't familiar with (goose barnacles & cow birds) that weren't nearly as clever or interesting as bull frog or tiger shark. The end did include realistic sketches and facts about the real animals.

[Katie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder if kids really think of animals like this? In this book, children fantasize about how animals look such as a bull frog. I like how it tells the reader how the animal acts and I also like how it shows an actual picture of each animal in the back of the book. It provides a description of each animal so the reader will understand the animal more.

[Kelly]

3/9/11

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, not only being about compound words, but a very humerous pairing of unlikely word combinations.

[Maija · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the imagination of thses animals, it reminds me of, "mixed beasts".

[Cheryl]

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