The frog book: Nature's alarm by Sue Lawson

The Frog Book: Nature’s Alarm written by Sue Lawson is an engaging non-fiction book full of intriguing and important information about frogs. With stunning colour photographs of a wide variety of frogs throughout, this book is a comprehensive resource for younger to middle grade readers to learn everything they need to know.

The Frog Book has a striking front cover with a huge photograph of one species of frog which will immediately draw readers to this book. The contents page contains just enough chapters for younger readers and is clearly set out beginning with an introductory page sharing some brief information about frogs in general. This is followed by ‘What is a frog?’ In this chapter basic frog facts are explained, Australian frogs are discussed including the fact that the frog is Australia’s only native amphibian, and how First Nations people understand frogs are messengers about the health of the environment. There is also interesting information about New Zealand frogs and the cane toad threat in Australia. As the reader moves through the book they are able to discover valuable information about how special frogs are, their main characteristics, survival, life cycle, habitats, how to help protect frogs, and creating their own frog habitat. The final page contains a glossary, index and useful resources.

The overall presentation of The Frog Book has been thoughtfully and cleverly designed. The accessible text is easily manageable for independent readers with plenty of white space and shares the pages with labelled glossy photographs and/or diagrams and illustrations.  The excellent teacher notes available will further enhance the value of this book as a must-have resource for all school and public libraries.

Themes: Frogs, Characteristics, Habitats, Australian Frogs, New Zealand Frogs, Toads, Environmental Issues.

Kathryn Beilby