Peter Easter Frog

February 1, 2021
You may know the Easter Bunny, but get ready to meet Peter Easter Frog! Peter loves Easter, and he's not going to let the fact that he's a frog and not a bunny stop him, especially when he's so good at hopping! He looks absolutely delighted to be hopping around delivering Easter eggs. As he hops along, so does a repeated refrain, which always begins with two words ending with "-ity" coupled with "Easter's on its--" ("Squishity, squashity, Easter's on its--"; "Yippity, yappity, Easter's on its--"); each page turn playfully upends the expected conclusion of the line. Karas' cheery art portrays a growing array of animals: a turtle decked out in lipstick and a spiffy Easter bonnet, a cow with flower choker necklace, and a sheepdog and a chipmunk sans finery. As Peter gives out colorful, patterned Easter eggs to the other animals, they are, at first, shocked to see an Easter frog but soon join him in his charitable mission to spread Easter cheer. The moment when the cow responds to the dog's challenge that she is not a cow-bunny by pointing out its own breed as a "sheepdog" may elicit laughs, especially from adult readers. When the group finally meets the real Easter Bunny--hilariously, at the end of a dark tunnel--it seems that things may go awry, but all ends hoppily, happily, and inclusively. The text does not use dialogue tags, instead setting narration and dialogue in separate, distinctive typefaces; unfortunately, this design is not consistently applied, which may confuse readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 26.8% of actual size.) Charming Easter fun. (Picture book. 3-5)

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March 1, 2021

Toddler-PreS-A friendly frog takes over the Easter Bunny's responsibilties in this cheeky Easter story. The happy frog hops through the forest with a basket of Easter eggs, encountering a variety of creatures along the way, including a turtle, a cow, a sheepdog, a squirrel, and finally, the Easter Bunny himself. Each creature reacts with surprise but is soon won over by Frog's upbeat positivity and joins him on his endeavors. Humorous rhymes and wordplay ("clippity, cloppity"; "yippity, yappity") keep the story bouncing along. The warm mixed-media illustrations invite readers to linger on the animal's curious faces and their funky accessories. VERDICT A great addition to Easter book collections for the youngest readers.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

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