TALE OF A TADPOLE
by Barbara Ann Porte & illustrated by Annie Cannon
A little girl and her family watch and wait while a small tadpole named Fred grows into an adult toad. The brief picture book text from Porte (Harry's Pony, p. 956, etc.) is complemented by charming watercolors of the tadpole in his tank, the little girl, her sister, parents, and grandparents. Cannon (The Bat in the Boot, 1995, etc.) offers unusual perspectives: a view of the little girl and family as seen through the tank, another from the bottom of the tank, looking up. The soft, liquid palette in pale green, gold, and gray is a soothing accompaniment to a gentle family story, but there is no fact page to answer the questions children are likely to have—where did the tadpole come from? How long did it take to grow up? What kind of fish food did it eat? Pair this one with a book that's strongly factual for an amiable nature lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)