And the Bullfrogs Sing

A Life Cycle Begins

Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove
Rumm...rumm...rumm. A male bullfrog sings. A female bullfrog likes his song. And a life cycle begins.

Eggs hatch and become tadpoles. The tadpoles nibble plants. They grow legs and start to breathe. Now they are little bullfrogs. They eat flies, fish, and spiders. In the winter they hibernate. And after three years, they are adult bullfrogs. Rumm...rumm...rumm.

Lyrical prose and elegant art depict the life cycle of a bullfrog in this nonfiction picture book by an award-winning poet-biologist.
David L. Harrison is writer of both poetry and prose for children, and is a biologist as well. His books received state awards in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia. Awards also include IRA/CBC Children's Choices, NCTE Notable Poetry Books, and Bank Street College Best Books. The David Harrison Elementary School in Springfield, Missouri is named in his honor. David lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Kate Cosgrove is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of A Day With No Words; winner of the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award. Cosgrove’s book illustrations juried into The 41st and 43rd Original Art Annual Exhibition in NYC. Her other notable picture books include And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins, named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honors book, and The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. She’s usually hiding in her probably-haunted art studio, with pencil-smudged fingers and a smelly dog named Stanley.
"Harrison uses simple, short sentences to describe bullfrog courtship and development . . . The text lends itself well to reading aloud, with opportunities for sound effects, and the illustrations show well from a distance. A useful addition to a nature-themed storytime."—Kirkus Reviews

"In Cosgrove's illustrations, the wide-eyed frogs leap, swim, rest, and sing among blocks of color filled with energetic scribbles that outline the many plants of the wetland environments. Whether full-page illustrations or double-page spreads, the art is full of movement. A page of back matter gives more information about bullfrogs and includes a brief bibliography." The Horn Book

"Cosgrove’s full-spread illustrations situate cheerful, bulbous bullfrogs at various ages and stages in layered textures shaded mostly in green, blue, and lavender. Endnotes offer facts and resource links, capping this effective conjuring of the bullfrog’s life and aqueous world." —Publishers Weekly

"Cosgrove’s visuals compliment Harrison’s text; the pictures and words flow together smoothly and offer an attractive presentation. . . . A storytime selection, suitable for the juvenile nonfiction picture book collection."  School Library Journal

About

Rumm...rumm...rumm. A male bullfrog sings. A female bullfrog likes his song. And a life cycle begins.

Eggs hatch and become tadpoles. The tadpoles nibble plants. They grow legs and start to breathe. Now they are little bullfrogs. They eat flies, fish, and spiders. In the winter they hibernate. And after three years, they are adult bullfrogs. Rumm...rumm...rumm.

Lyrical prose and elegant art depict the life cycle of a bullfrog in this nonfiction picture book by an award-winning poet-biologist.

Author

David L. Harrison is writer of both poetry and prose for children, and is a biologist as well. His books received state awards in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia. Awards also include IRA/CBC Children's Choices, NCTE Notable Poetry Books, and Bank Street College Best Books. The David Harrison Elementary School in Springfield, Missouri is named in his honor. David lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Kate Cosgrove is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of A Day With No Words; winner of the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award. Cosgrove’s book illustrations juried into The 41st and 43rd Original Art Annual Exhibition in NYC. Her other notable picture books include And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins, named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honors book, and The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. She’s usually hiding in her probably-haunted art studio, with pencil-smudged fingers and a smelly dog named Stanley.

Praise

"Harrison uses simple, short sentences to describe bullfrog courtship and development . . . The text lends itself well to reading aloud, with opportunities for sound effects, and the illustrations show well from a distance. A useful addition to a nature-themed storytime."—Kirkus Reviews

"In Cosgrove's illustrations, the wide-eyed frogs leap, swim, rest, and sing among blocks of color filled with energetic scribbles that outline the many plants of the wetland environments. Whether full-page illustrations or double-page spreads, the art is full of movement. A page of back matter gives more information about bullfrogs and includes a brief bibliography." The Horn Book

"Cosgrove’s full-spread illustrations situate cheerful, bulbous bullfrogs at various ages and stages in layered textures shaded mostly in green, blue, and lavender. Endnotes offer facts and resource links, capping this effective conjuring of the bullfrog’s life and aqueous world." —Publishers Weekly

"Cosgrove’s visuals compliment Harrison’s text; the pictures and words flow together smoothly and offer an attractive presentation. . . . A storytime selection, suitable for the juvenile nonfiction picture book collection."  School Library Journal

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