April is National Frog Month!
Sure, everyone else is celebrating National Poetry Month, but I’ve been informed by J. Patrick Lewis that April is also National Frog Month, so who am I to argue? And to celebrate, Pat sent along his delightful poem “Frog and Toad,” which I am hoppy to present. Look how cute they are!
(By the way, I’ll be bringing Pat back later in the month for his Spotlight on NCTE Poets feature, so stay tuned!)
Pat’s poem prompted me to look into the world frog situation, and I discovered that several species are endangered. Luckily, I also discovered the amazing Save the Frogs organization that is holding its annual Save the Frogs Day on April 30. This group does lots of educational frog outreach with kids around the world, not to mention actually saving frogs and other amphibians, so click on the graphic below to check it out! Maybe your school can host a frog awareness day.
Not being an expert on amphibians, I also had to look up the differences between frogs and toads, besides those Pat mentions in his poem. All I knew is that frogs are slimy and toads are warty, but there are other differences too!
Then I just couldn’t get enough of frog pictures! Just look at this guy!
And I wonder what these guys found so funny. “Hey, Hank just fell off his lily pad. Haaaaahaaaaahaaaaaa!”
Anyway, if you’d like to celebrate all nature and animals, endangered and un-, slimy or warty, I highly recommend Pat’s anthologies The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. These are both favorites in our house for their incredible photos and hundreds of poems by all your favorite poets (and hey, I’m in there too)!
Thank you for sharing your poem, Pat!
RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES
- 10 Frog-Tastic Activities for Kids at the National Wildlife Federation
- Get involved in the Save the Frogs movement
- Make Oreo frogs and other frog treats from theWHOOT.com
- Read some stories about this famous pair of amphibian friends, Arnold Lobel’s marvelous Frog and Toad, or check out Iza Trapani’s romantic frog in Froggy Went A-Courtin’
- Don’t be like that guy on the left. Croak like nobody’s listening! Frog songs for kids.
Now hop over to Writing the Word for Kids, where Laura Salas is catching all the Poetry Friday flies.
AW, SHUCKS!
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See more poems in my poetry video library.
“Frog and Toad” copyright © J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.
Darn it, the poem image won’t load for me (I refreshed the screen several times); I’ll have to come back later to read it. I love the Nat Geo Nature Poetry book! It fun to read works by so many people I know. We’re big amphibian fans and I follow Save The Frog on FB. 🙂
Oh, it showed up after I commented! Hah…funny poem!
I had no idea it was frog month, so I’ll have to share your post with an author friend of mine who loves frogs and has written about them. Love Pat’s poem!
I’m so glad Pat knew it was National Frog Month or I would’ve missed out on his poem…which is ribbeting 😉
Thanks for researching and sharing these interesting and fun frog-toad tidbits!
Tee hee! Ribbeting indeed! Thanks for dropping by with a pun, Penny! I didn’t have enough brain power to come up with any, so I am relying on you guys to do it. 😀
Patrick’s Frog and Toad poem is fun to read aloud. And Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad is still a favorite of mine.
What kind of shoes do frogs wear?
Open toad!
HAR HAR HAR! Don’t make me croak, Doraine! 😀
Too funny–I will avoid puns since other people beat me to them:>) I love that toad not doing diddly-squat! J. Patrick Lewis is the best.
My toad was doing something. But then he forgot. LOL
So glad to know about National Frog Month! And 3 cheers for Frog and Toad (and kissing flies!)
“A toad prefers kissing a fly.”
Love that ending! And as we’re hearing confused peepers in our April snow, I like knowing it’s frog month. Thank you, Pat!
And thank you, Renee, all of you in there…for filling your joyful home with water for us today. Big hug! xx
I’m teaching the RIBBITS this year, so I will be sure to share this frggy page with them. And I can tell you about toads. Have written a rhyming poem titled; Bufo Marinus – What is it? (Hint: Not a frog!)
I thought all the fun was going to be Pat’s poem, then came the pictures, the Oreo frogs, Jeremiah! So. Much. FUN!!!!
Mr Lewis is a fine poet just reading his Toad and Frog poem is enough for me to hunt out his other poetry. I did not know about Frog month and i think they are a sign of healthy natural life. Thanks for this fascinating blog .We have a pond and often hear the frogs’ songs in the summer evenings. Today we have snow again!!
I remember Jeremiah was a bull frog well from a time long ago.
Again you have opened my eyes to more poetry.
Thank you Renee.
Oh what a fun post! And the punny comments were also worth the read. Can’t wait to share these activities with my class. Especially those cookies. Great fun!
Having taught third grade, I know that that age group adores frogs and toads and animals of all sorts. Since one of the first and favorite poems my students learn to recite and love is “Frog” by Mary Ann Hoberman, this post is right up my pond. (Frogs and toads are not often found in alleys, right?) Here is a link to a post where she talks about the importance of memorizing poems (my fav as you may recall) and the “Frog” poem that children beg me to recite for them when I visit them in later years as a subsitute teacher. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208777038246345&set=a.1238095515561.2036172.1324466943&type=3&theater Things they love about “Frog” is its tongue twister word play fun and things I love about it is it teaches so much good info about frogs….I am a teacher after all!) So am very happy to add Pat’s terrific poem to the Frog and Toad folder. (I have one.) I also found a great site so you can listen to Frog calls and see an “English version” of the syllables. (Sometimes I think I just got really weird after all those years in elementary school, but it is fun and helps you understand the “jug-o-rum” line in Hoberman’s poem.) Will post the link if I can find the good one I used, there are many online to choose from however. Anyhow terrific post, Renee. Ribbet (Frog for love it!)
Yay for frog month. I don’t really like frogs but I do like toads and once had a pet toad named Toily that did tricks! Don’t ask! Love Pat’s poem and Pat in general!
Renee, highlighting Pat’s poetry was just what I needed tonight for a laugh (especially since I chipped my front tooth). Ribbet, ribbet, laugh! Pat has provided me with such wonderful poems of his for the galleries so it was great seeing one more special one tonight. (Thanks, Pat.)
Renee, your blog is loaded with extra special facts and fun about one of my favorite topics for 3rd graders-frogs. The Bullfrogs of Magnolia Circle with its colorful illustrations is great book for a read aloud.
How nice to read this lighthearted, fun post, Renée! Those cane toads are NASTY. They can grow to be plate-sized in Australia, and are a devastating problem in Queensland. Pat’s poem, on the other hand is anything but nasty. I kissed the screen, but nothing happened. 😉
(Michelle….maybe hit F5 to reload the page…would hate for you to miss something wonderful!)
Ah! Too late, Damon… will have to wait for the next frog poem, I guess. Darn.
Loved this post…just now getting back to comment.
Frogs and toads are the most wonderful magical
childhood-friendly creatures.
The first thing they do as your new best friend, of course,
is pee on you.
One of my favorite books is FROG SONG by Brenda Guiberson.
It’s worth finding and checking out because of the lyrical language in the this (I think) perfect non-fiction picturebook.
(I reviewed it if you’d like to see the post: http://wp.me/p29VQl-b2 )
Thanks for highlighting this mountain of poetic knowledge. LEWIS POWER!