My amphibious co-host, Finley, has decided to do this installment of Frog on a Blog book reviews. Because he loves picture books so much, he had a hard time deciding on just one. So, he picked two. One is brand new and the other is a bit older, but they both star adorable amphibians, one a toad, the other a frog.

  Ooh, I’m so excited about this new picture book by Holly Hobbie that really lives up to its name! It’s called Gem (2012, Little, Brown, and Co.). It has lots of beautiful illustrations and very few words. It starts with a letter from a grandma to her granddaughter and ends with a letter from the granddaughter to her grandma. The story follows a toad as he emerges from the ground and embarks on a perilous journey. It was scary at times, a real nail-biter (if I had nails), but has a happy ending. If you want to learn about toads, this book will help.

  Another great book that I stumbled across is called A Frog Thing (2005, Kidwick Books). This book by Eric Drachman introduces a frog named Frank who, incidentally, is almost as cute as I am, thanks to illustrator James Muscarello’s awesome drawings. And Frank and I have something else in common, besides being frogs, we want to try new things. Frank wants to learn how to fly. Read his terrific story and see if his wish comes true. Or does he discover something even better? You be the judge.