999 Tadpoles review

999 Tadpoles
by Ken Kimura, illustrated by Yasunari Murakami
North South
May 2011

Mother and Father Frog are overwhelmed when their 999 offspring grow up and overcrowd their pond. "We have a situation here," Father intones. When they decide to move, Mother warns them that the world is a dangerous place. Sure enough, they have a long and weary journey ahead of them. They narrowly escape a snake, and when Father is snatched up by a passing hawk, the rest of family comes to the rescue in a surprising way.

The simple figures, generous use of white space and large eyes of the frogs reminded me of Taro Gomi, not surprising, considering that 999 Tadpoles is also a Japanese import. These illustrations made me think of baby peeper migrations when you'll see thousands of teeny-tiny little frogs hopping all over in late spring. I had expected, in a story with 1001 frogs total, that part of the tale would be about losing some along the way, so I was pleased to see the story end so happily. After the hawk grabs Father, the little frogs each grab hold forming a heavy chain, and the hawk ends up dropping them... into a new pond, with room for them all to make their home there. This is a fun story with a great sense of humor, sure to be a hit at storytime.


I borrowed this book from the library.