Book Descriptions
for The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog by Sue deGennaro
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
The main character and her friend Camille are different. The main character wears animal costumes, while Camille loves math and speaks in numbers. The main character's cat costume prompted Camille's dog to bark, so it was decided another costume would be better. Camille suggested a frog. Discord arises when Camille sings the times tables during construction of the new costume, and the main character expresses frustration. After the main character come up with three “pros” and three “cons” of being a frog, they renew their friendship. Numerous numerals appear in a preponderance of the illustrations in this story of appreciating differences.
2017 USBBY Outstanding International Books.
Author/illustrator lives in Australia.
Australia. Originally published in Australia as The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog by Scholastic in 2012. Published in the United States by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/A Paula Wiseman Book in 2016.
© USBBY, 2022. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
“This celebration of differences displays great respect for readers' intelligence and yields more with each reading. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Two shy kids discover the power of friendship in this charming picture book that celebrates being different.
A boy likes to dress as a cat, but his best friend’s dog objects. What will he dress as now? A giraffe? A fox? A shark? When his best friend, Camille, suggests a frog, they work together to make the frog costume…until Camille runs out of patience. So the boy makes a list of the pros and cons of being a frog:
Pros:
1. My friend Camille gave me the idea
2. I’m less likely to be chased by a dog
3. Being in a frog costume makes me feel brave
Cons:
1. Not everyone loves wearing a frog costume as much as me
2. If you start getting bossy about your frog costume then your friend will get up and leave
3. A frog is NOT a solitary creature so it is no fun for a frog if his friend gets up and leaves
Luckily, he won’t have to choose, because true friendship means accepting each other’s differences: he can be himself and have his friend Camille.
Two shy kids discover the power of friendship in this charming picture book that celebrates being different.
A boy likes to dress as a cat, but his best friend’s dog objects. What will he dress as now? A giraffe? A fox? A shark? When his best friend, Camille, suggests a frog, they work together to make the frog costume…until Camille runs out of patience. So the boy makes a list of the pros and cons of being a frog:
Pros:
1. My friend Camille gave me the idea
2. I’m less likely to be chased by a dog
3. Being in a frog costume makes me feel brave
Cons:
1. Not everyone loves wearing a frog costume as much as me
2. If you start getting bossy about your frog costume then your friend will get up and leave
3. A frog is NOT a solitary creature so it is no fun for a frog if his friend gets up and leaves
Luckily, he won’t have to choose, because true friendship means accepting each other’s differences: he can be himself and have his friend Camille.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
