Frogs and Toads Book

Illustrated by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
Published: 1996
Non-fiction, Puzzle picture book

Summary:
The book gives several clues along with a close up picture of several black and white animals. The child must guess what animal he/she thinks it is and turn the page to see if they are correct and learn more facts about the animal. The end of the book has an instructional glossary with even more facts about the animals.

Evaluation:
The book is a great one to have children to listen to the text and look at the pictures to put together what animal is being described. The book is intended for emergent readers but I think some of the vocabulary would be a little difficult. I would definitely used the book for an interactive read aloud in the younger grades. The illustrations are beautifully done, both the close ups and the full pages. The text is always in the left upper corner so the students know where to look. The book is very organized with every four pages dedicated to the same animal. The facts are accurate and give enough description without overwhelming the reader. None of the facts appear to be outdated.

1) Vocabulary to go over: predator, mammal, bamboo, and chrysalis. In the first lesson maybe read the book and then ask the students what they think the words mean based on the context clues and then review with every subsequent reading.
2) After reading the book, ask the students why they think the word fly is in quotation marks.