Ever wonder what a garden hose is thinking? Do you quiddle with words?

From frogs to polliwogs to monkey wrenches and waterbugs... Rich in imagery, figurative language, and a wide variety of poetic  forms, this is a collection to simply enjoy or use when aligning curriculum with the Common Core State Standards.

"An invitation to experience joy and wonder." Starred review, Publishers Weekly"


Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award




The Great Frog Race in the Classroom

About writing The Great Frog Race

Awards | Honors |Reviews

 

 


by Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrated by Lauren Stringer 
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    ISBN 0-15-202-501-4
Ages 6 to 10

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Purchase using the links above and referral fees are donated to Kickstarter & Donors Choose. Thank you for helping to support these terrific causes.

 

 

 



 




Learn more about the illustrator, Kate Kiesler.

 

 





The Great Frog Race in the classroom



 

See the Teacher's Guide for writing exercises. Quiddling included!












 

About Writing The Great Frog Race

The Great Frog Race was my first book and these twenty-eight poems were written over a period of about five years. Now in a 4th printing, The Great Frog Race was also translated into Braille. My grandfather was legally blind and I'm especially thrilled to know my poems will be available to children who are visually impaired.

The poems in this collection — many written while I studied with Myra Cohn Livingston - celebrate memories of my childhood: tadpoles, shooting stars, and an old farm dog named Zeke.  There are poems about singing off-key, getting lost with Mom, and a drowsy day-dreaming garden hose.

When I share my book with children I often bring my (very elegant!) metal bucket with "props" from some of the poems:  One egg (plastic!).  A length of garden hose.  A well-preserved dragonfly.  A sprig of lavender.  Maracas.  A saltine cracker.  A monkey wrench...  In talking to students, I hope to demystify poetry and help them understand that poetry is all around them, even in the humble ordinary objects in our everyday lives.

 Kate Kiesler captured her own childhood memories in oils, and The Great Frog Race was the beginning of our collaboration.  Our subsequent poetry collections are Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems and Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems

     Kate and I hope you enjoy The Great Frog Race



Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
International Reading Association/  
   Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
NCTE Notable Book in Language Arts
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
Critic's Choice U. S. News and World Report
3 Starred Reviews!
 



 "Readers will easily find favorites here...for personal enjoyment, reading aloud, and for encouraging children in the writing of poetry, this offering has lots of uses." Starred review, School Library Journal

"Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. Starred review, Booklist

"An invitation to experience joy and wonder." Starred review, Publishers Weekly

"An impressive debut." Columbus Dispatch

"These glimpses of everyday magic, reflected in Kiesler's richly colored paintings, will help young readers see the poetry that surrounds and suffuses them. Family Fun Magazine

"A winning title." Midwest Book Review

"Surprising insights and unexpected language make this a collection of poetry to be listened to and read aloud again and again."  Mailbox Bookbag

 

 

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Kristine O'Connell George. All rights reserved.

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