Frogs Storytime

Books:

Baby Bird's first nest by Frank Asch. 
San Diego: Harcourt Brace, c1999. 
When Baby Bird takes a tumble from her mama's nest in the middle of the night, she finds a friend in Little Frog. 

Marsh music by Marianne Berkes; illustrated by Robert Noreika. 
Brookfield, CT : Millbrook Press, 2000. 
During the night, the marsh comes alive with the singing of all kinds of frogs, from spring peepers and wood frogs to leopard and pig frogs.

Seven froggies went to school by Kate Duke. 
New York : Dutton, c1985. 
Seven little frogs go to school and learn some important lessons from Master Bullfrog.

The wide-mouthed frog: a pop-up book by Keith Faulkner; illustrated by Jonathan Lambert. 
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c1996. 
A wide-mouthed frog is interested in what other animals eat--until he meets a creature that eats only wide-mouthed frogs! 

Jump, frog, jump! by Robert Kalan; pictures by Byron Barton. 
New York: Greenwillow Books, c1981. 
A cumulative tale in which a frog tries to catch a fly without getting caught itself. 

Fish is fish, by Leo Lionni 
New York : Pantheon Books, [1970] 
When his friend, the tadpole, becomes a frog and leaves the pond to explore the world, the little fish decides that maybe he doesn't have to remain in the pond either. 

One, two, three jump! by Penelope Lively ; illustrated by Jan Ormerod. 
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1999. 

The rainy day puddle by Ei Nakabayashi. 
New York : Random House, c1989. 
Little Frog's puddle grows bigger on a rainy day but becomes much more crowded as other animals come to join him.

The biggest frog in Australia written and illustrated by Susan Roth. 
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996. 
When a thirsty frog drinks up all the water in Australia, the other animals must think of a way to make him give it up.

April showers by George Shannon; pictures by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. 
New York : Greenwillow Books, c1995. 
A group of frogs enjoys dancing in the rain so much that they seem not to notice a snake sneaking up on them. 

In the middle of the puddle by Mike Thaler; pictures by Bruce Degen. 
New York : Harper & Row, c1988. 
A frog and a turtle watch the rain turn their puddle into an ocean before the sun comes along and returns things to normal.

Hop jump by Ellen Stoll Walsh. 
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1993. 
Bored with just hopping and jumping, a frog discovers dancing. 

Once there was a bull--- frog by Rick Walton; illustrated by Greg Hally. 
Salt Lake City : Gibbs Smith, Publisher, c1995. 
A bullfrog in the Old West loses his hop in this lively tale where each page must be turned to complete the previous image. 

Tuesday by David Wiesner. 
New York : Clarion Books, c1991. 
Frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep. 

Jubal's wish story by Audrey Wood ; pictures by Don Wood. 
New York : Blue Sky Press, c2000. 
Jubal Bullfrog wishes for happiness for his animal friends and finds that sometimes wishes come true in an unexpected way.

Some stories for telling without books!

The Frog Prince.   Many versions out there!

Twenty tellable tales: audience participation folktales for the beginning storyteller by Margaret Read MacDonald. 
New York : Wilson, 1986.
This book includes a fun story about Grandpa Parley and the Frogs.

Poetry:

Flannelboard:

Make five frogs, a log, and a pond, and use to illustrate "Five Green and Speckled Frogs, or order a set from Sisters in Stitches .

Make a bear, snake, turtle, alligator and duck to replace the frogs in Five Little Frogs rhyme.

Jump Frog Jump by Robert Kalan
Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni

Puppet:

So many possibilities! Folkmanis has a wonderful bullfrog, as well as a big green frog, tree frog and finger puppet frogs. Starbucks stores carry frog finger puppets in the springtime. There are also frog finger puppets to use with the Monkey Mitt!

Fingerplays:

Five Little Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs (yum, yum!)
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four green speckled frogs. (glub, glub)

4 green and speckled frogs...
3 green and speckled frogs...
2 green and speckled frogs...
1 green and speckled frog...

Five Little Frogs

Five little frogs
Were down at the pond
Down at the pond at play
Along came a hungry bear,
And chased one frog away.

Four little frogs
Were down at the pond
Down at the pond at play.
Along came a wiggly snake,
And chased one frog away.

Three little frogs
Were down at the pond
Down at the pond at play
Along came a giant turtle,
And chased one frog away.

Two little frogs
Were down at the pond
Down at the pond at play
Along came a great big alligator,
And chased one frog away.

One little frog
Was down at the pond
Down at the pond at play
Along came a flying duck,
And chased one frog away.

Then no little frogs
Were down at the pond
Down at the pond at play
Where do you think the little frogs went
When they all hopped away?

The Funny Fat Frog

The funny fat frog, 
winkin' and a-blinkin'
Getting so sleepy, 
sitting there thinkin'
All of a sudden
...he jumps!

Five Little Froggies

Five little froggies sat on a shore
   children crouch in a row like frogs
One went for a swim then there were four
   First frog leaps, swims off
Four little froggies looked happy as can be
One went swimming and then there were three
Three little froggies said "What can we do?"
   Children repeat
One jumped in the water then there were two
Two little froggies sat in the sun
One swam off and then there was one
One little froggie said "This is no fun!"
   Last frog repeats
He dived in the water and then there were none.

Little Tadpole
  tune: Frere Jacques

Little tadpole, Little tadpole
Lost his tail, lost his tail.
Now he has two feet
Now he has four feet
Look a frog! Look a frog!

Six Little Frogs
  tune: Six Little Ducks

Six little frogs that I once knew,
Green ones, brown ones, red ones, too.
But the one bullfrog with the freckles on his throat,
He ruled them all with a croak, croak, croak.

Down to the blue pond they would go,
Hop, jump, hop, jump, to and fro.
But the one bullfrog with the freckles on his throat,
He ruled them all with a croak, croak, croak.

A Green Frog 

Said the little green frog as he sat on a log 
Nobody really likes me 
A duck came along 
And said, "You are wrong." 
And gobbled him up for tea. 

Five Little Froggies 
Use fingerpuppets to tell this one, removing one puppet for each verse, until at the end you have none.  During the last verse, when the frogs are jumping high and low, quickly replace all the puppets on your fingers!

Five little froggies sitting on a well 
One leaned over and in he fell. 
And the froggies jumped high, 
And the froggies jumped low,
And the froggies jumped everywhere,
To and fro!

Four little froggies sitting on a well 
One leaned over and in he fell.
And the froggies jumped high, 
And the froggies jumped low,
And the froggies jumped everywhere,
To and fro!. 

Count down to none!

Frogs 

This little froggy broke his toe 
This little froggy said, "Oh, oh, oh!" 
This little froggy laughed and was glad. 
This little froggy cried and was sad, 
This little froggy did just what he should 
He ran for the Doctor as fast as he could. 

The Frog Song

Gagung went the little green frog one day
Gagung went the little green frog
Gagung went the little green frog one day
And his eyes went Ah-Ah-Gung

Click here for a wonderful action adaptation of the Frog Song 

Craft:

Lily Pad Seats

Using green paper, cut out a lily pad shape for each child to sit on during storytime. Cut a large piece of blue butcher paper in a semi circular shape (or use blue towels, scarves or blanket) to place between you and the children. They can pretend to sit on lily pads at the pond's edge during storytime!

Origami Frog Instructions 


Additional Resources at Jean Warren's Preschool Express