|
King of the Pond
“Tombo, the largest tadpole, annoys his tadpole friends by constantly boasting,
‘I’m the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest tadpole.
I’m King of the Pond!’ It’s
true—Tombo is everything he says he is—but his bragging and bullying get
him into trouble. Performing a
triple flip over the pond surface, he’s captured by a little boy.
Now a fishbowl captive, Tombo eats only enough nasty fish food to
survive. When Tombo finally
develops into a frog, he’s returned to the pond—but discovers his sparse diet
has made him the smallest frog.
Character development predictable ensues.
Sommer uses old fashioned straightforward storytelling that’s almost rare these
days.
Even the text is designed with no bells and whistles, just refreshingly
simple frames and white space. Kids
will enjoy the story of comeuppance, and love repeating Tombo’s oft-used boast.
The book’s real charm, however, is the irresistible illustrations—even Disney
would be jealous of these adorable, expressive tadpoles and their green-tinged
world.”
Today’s School Media Specialist, Winter 2000
King of the Pond, was a cute book
as well as a book to learn from. It could be used in a science class for
children to learn where frogs come from. It had excellent illustrations and a
very good storyline. I'm sure glad that Tombo made it back to the pond. He
learned a valuable lesson about boasting. Thanks Sommer, I will use this one in
an integrated science lesson.
VacationBookReview.com
The latest in the outstanding
"Sommer-Time Story" series for young readers, King Of The Pond is an engaging
picture book cheerfully written by Carl Sommer and delightfully illustrated by
Greg Budwine, that blends the adventures of a tadpole with an important lesson
in sportsmanship and having respect for others. An entertaining story of
friendship, activity, and growing up, King Of The Pond is especially commended
for competitive boys and girls in need of developing an understanding of why the
virtues of forgiveness, sportsmanship, tolerance, and mutual respect are so
important in their lives.
Midwest Book Review.com
Endorsements for all
Sommer-Time Stories
Write an Online Review
|
