Title: Froggy Goes to School
Author: Jonathan London
Illustrator: Frank Remkiewicz
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Children
Age level: 3-6
Themes: The first day of school, anxiety about unknown situations, anxiety over meeting new classmates
Synopsis: It's Froggy's first day of school and he is so worried about missing the school bus that he doesn't realize he is only wearing underwear until he is on the bus. Of course he is mortified and tries to hide until his teacher spies him and shouts out his name. Suddenly, his teacher becomes his dad! It all turns out to be a nightmare and it is the voice of his dad calling his name that awakens him from this crazy dream. Froggy starts his day again. This time it really is the first day of school and he climbs aboard the school bus, fully clothed. He does all sorts of fun things at school, including teaching the principal to swim! When he returns home from school without his lunch box or his baseball cap, his mom wonders if he'll ever learn! A humorous look at the first day of school jitters. The illustrations are bright and colorful.
Synopsis: It's Froggy's first day of school and he is so worried about missing the school bus that he doesn't realize he is only wearing underwear until he is on the bus. Of course he is mortified and tries to hide until his teacher spies him and shouts out his name. Suddenly, his teacher becomes his dad! It all turns out to be a nightmare and it is the voice of his dad calling his name that awakens him from this crazy dream. Froggy starts his day again. This time it really is the first day of school and he climbs aboard the school bus, fully clothed. He does all sorts of fun things at school, including teaching the principal to swim! When he returns home from school without his lunch box or his baseball cap, his mom wonders if he'll ever learn! A humorous look at the first day of school jitters. The illustrations are bright and colorful.
About the author: Jonathan London is the author of many children's books, though it's the "Froggy" series that is his main claim to fame... The Froggy books are inherently pretty dumb, but there's a goofy quality about them that's likely to endear it to small children of all stripes. You're likely to have the same experience with it as we did: the first book you try will be fun, but the series will wear thin pretty quickly when you realize that the same quirky affectations are repeated in every book. Froggy always "flop-flop-flops" inside and outside his house, he always puts his clothes on with the same --zip-zap-zup!-- sound effects, his parents always call out to him -- "FRRROOGGYY!!" and he always replies, "Wha-a-a-a-t?", and at some point he always gets so embarrassed that he looks "more red in the face than green." It's cute, but gets old quick. If your kid just loves these books, though, there are tricks that can help you keep your sanity: skip the sound effects, shorten the flop-flops to something livelier; in short, change the text to something that feels more natural. Also, pick the books you like best, because some are dumber than others
Pre-reading activities: Asking the students what they think the book is about, especially from the cover. List some words describing the first day of school, such as "exciting," "scary," "new friends," "fun."
Post-reading activities: The students can write about their own experiences from the first day of school, including if they have had dreams about the first day. As the teacher, I would say that it's ok for students to feel nervous on the first day of school; I have many times since you don't always know what to expect.
Reflection: I read this book while student teaching in 2nd grade on the first day of school, and I remember going to the assembly with the principal with the 2nd graders and just the excitement and jitters of the first day of school. I was even a little nervous when starting that first day with the 2nd graders, so I knew what Froggy was going through with his jitters.
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