Friday 13 September 2013

Book Review: Cheery; The true adventures of a Chiricahua leopard frog

Cheery the Frog Children's Book
Cheery: Five Star Publications
I enjoy doing book reviews. Between my healthcare
leopard frog
background, teaching, and editing, I've enjoyed providing critical reviews. What with grandchildren in my life, I've enjoyed finding picture books for those times when we babysit. It is a delight to share the books I read to my kids. All the more fun to find new ones.

This book is a delight. Lovely illustrations, they entertain children with the life cycle of a frog. Frogs pretty much have the same cycle: they sing for love, mate and lay eggs in water, tadpoles hatch, and they gradually metamorphosise into the adult. Growing those little legs is such fun.
 Written by a scientist, the information is accurate.
Author Dr. Elizabeth W. Davidson is a research scientist at Arizona State University where she is working to save these amazing amphibians. "Cheery: The True Adventures of a Chiricahua Leopard Frog" puts the problem in terms that young readers can grasp. And that's important, for today's children will become tomorrow's stewards of our earth. The book contains valuable lesson guides for parents and teachers.

Little kids need not know the terms, although some seem to absorb the difficult vocabulary, but change is the only thing we can depend upon, and this change is the good kind. Some use storybooks like this to explain death; that we've lost a grandparent, who now has a new home, a new body and a new life.

 It is important for them to understand why we should protect nature. This demonstrates an agency's means by which they harvest and perpetuate the species.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
I've always used books with my students, of all ages. There is background information at the back of the book, as well as activities to extend the learning from the lessons provided.
 There are many resources on the web:
hear call (445.2K MP3 file)
We love frogs, living as we do in the wetland. Our leopard frogs have had a banner year, after last year's drought. This will be a fine book to read to the grandkids!
Bullfrog

Gray tree frog
Spring peeper
Bullfrog - Geraldine

Friendly leopard frogs

Large leopard frog (brown)
Green frog



Spring peeper
Green frog
Tail beginning to disappear! 

3 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

Speaking of editing: I think you meant to say "change is the good kind" rather than "good kid" LOL.
Now, back to the Chiricahua Leopard Frog—what a great name, and "Cheery" is the perfect diminutive.
I have an almost-one-year-old grandnephew whose mother is a teacher and whose father (my nephew) is a computer geek/musician. The whole Davies family believes in protecting nature, because my dad (aka Tata Davies) was an outdoor writer.
I must make a note of the name of this book, the author and the publisher.
Luv, K

Jenn Jilks said...

Eagle-eyed Kay! Thanks for the editing!

Red said...

You never miss a good opportunity in your posts. You found a very good quality kids book and then told us a whole lot about frogs. I wish we still had a few frogs here.