Jump Frog Jump

A triple-threat child-pleaser - in the pattern of The House That Jack Built, with a chorus to chime in on and a (genuine) surprise at the close. "This is the turtle that slid into the pond and ate the snake that dropped from a branch and swallowed the fish that swam after the frog that was under the fly that climbed out of the water," we read midway through. "How did the frog get away?" And by now we're ready with the answer: "Jump, frog, jump!" But after the turtle has been caught in a net by some kids who haul it ashore (and the frog has jumped away); and the kids have then put a basket over the frog - what next? One of the three boys stealthily approaches the basket, whispering "Sh-h-h!," and lifts it - quietly calling out. . . "Jump, frog, jump!" To have turned this traditional cumulative construct into a child's rescue-mission - and made something truly original - is a feat of creative imagination. The pictures - simply and broadly drawn, brightly and flatly colored - distill the action into a few strong, very funny, teasing images. Teasing images because there's always a hint of what's coming next - the snake grinning from an overhanging tree, the turtle crouching with baleful eye behind the waterside greenery. Immensely satisfying edge-of-the-seat fun for very small listeners. (Kirkus Reviews)