The Queen of the Frogs

In this original picture book fairy tale, life in a community of frogs is abruptly changed when a crown is dropped into the pond. An expert diving frog retrieves it and is pronounced the queen. Other frogs become part of her court as she begins to demand royal attention and entertainment and all the entitlements of her queenly position. She also needs to be the best at everything, and a diving contest organized to amuse her becomes her downfall. The other frogs encourage the queen to show them what a wonderful diver she is, and as she demonstrates, the crown falls off her head and is lost in the muddy pond. Without a queen, the frogs return to their egalitarian ways. Using line drawings subtly colored in shades of green, Soma has depicted a happy community of frogs sitting on lily pads, dapperly dressed in sailor shirts. The story conveys how leadership can fail when it is not handled properly and how the common frog will find a way to prevail. VERDICT A simple, enjoyable fable that should spark discussion. A fine choice for a storytime; readers will want to pore over the lovely naturalistic art.—Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY