Frog and Friends

Written by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Josée Masse

 

To my very f rst granddaughter, Dana Christine Bunting
—Eve

To my friends, Marc and Hélène
—
Josée

Frog Goes Up, Up, Up

Frog's Pretty Blue Scarf

Frog and Hippo

The wind made ripples on Frog's pond.

When he woke up from his sleep he saw something floating on the water. Something he had never seen before.

It was BIG, BIG.

It was Orange.

It had a tail.

Frog called his friends. “Come see. There is a THING in my pond.”

“It does not talk. It does not move. It just lies there on the water.”

“I think it is a big egg. Maybe a hippopotamus egg,” Rabbit said.

“We do not have any hippopotamus-esssss here,” Frog told her.

“I think it is a big, big bubble,” Possum said.

Frog shook his head, “Who ever heard of an orange bubble?”

“I think it is a humongous seed,” Raccoon said.

“I think it is a THING with a long, ugly, skinny tail,” Squirrel said.

Frog swam closer.

“Pull its long, ugly, skinny tail,” Squirrel said. “Then see what happens.”

“Do not,” Possum advised. “It might do something bad.”

“Be brave,” Squirrel urged.

Frog swam closer. He took hold of THING's tail.

Just then the wind came strong. It skidded THING across the pond.

Suddenly THING rose UP, UP, UP.

“Let go! Let go of the tail,” Rabbit called.

But Frog was too far above the pond. He was scared to let go.

Rabbit ran for the long, ugly, skinny tail and caught it. She swung behind Frog. They went UP, UP, UP.

Then Squirrel ran and swung behind Rabbit.

Then Possum.

THING began to sink DOWN, DOWN, DOWN.

Possum's feet were on the ground. Then Squirrel's.

Then Rabbit's.

Then Frog's.

They fell in a Froggie, Rabbitty, Squirrely, Possumy heap.