With just four letters (well, actually two letters, repeated: "A" and "H") Jeff Mack (Good News, Bad News) tells an entire story in this clever picture book about a frog's adventures.
Before the book even begins, the frog reclines in a pond, exclaiming "AAHH!" in a purple speech balloon. Children may not even realize they've hit the title page because Mack uses the title in another purple speech balloon as the frog hero discovers a brown sphere protruding from the pond and says, "AH HA!" The frog climbs up, only to be snatched in a glass jar by two child-size hands, and a dog spectator nearby. The dog, lunging for the frog ("AH HA!" thinks the pooch), accidentally knocks the cap off and frees the captive. A turtle, crocodile and flamingo all make appearances, with narrow escapes and alternating exclamations of "AAHH" and "AH HA."
Mack varies the colorful backdrops and depicts the frog's pursuers working up a froth to contrast with the pond's glasslike surface each time the frog (often wrongly) believes it's reached safety. Initially, the author-artist shows readers only what the frog would see (what appears to be a log, for instance), then widens the view to let children get the full picture before the frog does (it's really a crocodile's back). Youngsters will love the sole use of "HA HA!" by the frog as he escapes the predators. Terrific for children just learning their letters, and a stellar read-aloud. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness