Book Review: Frog’s Rainy-Day Story {+ Giveaway}
April showers bring May flowers as well as a book review of Frog’s Rainy-Day and Other Fables. Plus, we have a giveaway!
Winner of the Mom’s Choice Award, this hardcover picture book contains seventy-two pages of entertaining, short stories.
The Author and the Illustrator
The author and illustrator are a married couple with years of writing and illustrating experience. Michael James Dowling is an award-winning author with more than two dozen books to his credit. His wife, Sarah, is an award-winning artist and illustrator of children’s books and toys.
They live in Charleston, S.C. but travel and speak to groups of children as well as adults. “Drawing on their deep Christian faith commitment and their prior personal experiences in the New Age Movement and the occult, Michael and Sarah equip parents and grandparents to communicate biblical values more effectively to the next generation.”
Why a book of fables?
“We created Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables as a catalyst for honest family conversations about today’s confusing culture. We hope that our lively characters will become fast friends and everyday teachers of sound values and life lessons to the children and grandchildren of the next generation.”
Michael James Dowling, author
Sarah Buell Dowling, illustrator
The Audience
This book is suitable for readers at a second or third grade level. Amazon advertises it for preschool through third grade students. However, this book is also widely promoted for family reading. It truly does have something most ages will appreciate.
While I don’t think preschoolers will understand all of the fables, because some require abstract thinking, I do believe they will love the beautiful illustrations.
Based on the content, I’d recommend this book for ages 6- 10, but younger children will certainly glean from it, especially if an adult is there to offer guidance when necessary.
What’s Inside Frog’s Rainy-Day Story
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story encompasses eight tales and over fifty colorful illustrations.
Each story ends with a simple sentence summarizing the truth learned from the story.
Also at the end of each story is a page stating Wisdom of the
The worldview pages are the ones I think children will need the most help with in understanding. Perhaps they are more for tweens, teens, and adults to ponder and discuss.
Table of Contents
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story
Duck’s Wrong Turn
Pig’s Unpopular Play
Turtle’s Favorite Turtle
Owl’s Problem
Rabbit’s Foxy Guest
Miss Hen’s Boyfriends (*I know this title and the preceding one sound a little risqué, but they’re not.)
Gander’s Day (This is my favorite fable.)
Frog’s Bits of Wisdom (Each fable is recapped with a one-sentence summary of the wisdom imparted.)
Burrowing Deeper (Gives link to the website and mentions the resources located there.)
Glossary (Helpful tool defining words in ways young children will understand.)
Extras
The website, FrogsRainyDayStory.com is as beautiful as the book and there are many wonderful resources there for children and adults. There are weekly contests, videos, activities, and free downloads.
Teachers and families may download free “Burrowing Deeper” study guides. There is a guide for children as well as one for teens and adults. Each is tailored for the appropriate age.
The children’s study guide contains short devotions relating to the topics in each of the book’s fables. In addition, each section is accompanied by corresponding questions. Thoughtful questions are also presented in the guide for teens and adults. Their study guide definitely goes deeper by exposing more worldviews and asking the reader to compare those to scriptures
Recommendation
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables is a beautifully illustrated book filled with stories that cause us to stop and ponder. It would be a great read-aloud book for families. But you don’t have to wait until a rainy day to enjoy this book. You can find it in stores and online. I even saw it on sale for a limited time at Frog’s website.
Giveaway
Also, on April 28, 2020, I’ll randomly pull a name from this blog’s email subscriber list to win an AUTOGRAPHED COPY of Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables. Yay! So, if you’re wanting in on that giveaway make sure you’re on our email list.
My Prayer for You During Pandemic 2020
The old saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” is a good reminder that beautiful things usually emerge after a storm.
I pray you all are staying safe and well during the COVID-19 pandemic. May you see daily reminders of God’s great love and care for you through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Easter will look different this year. Family and friends may not meet for worship, a shared meal, or find hidden eggs together. While all that will be greatly missed, perhaps this will be a time for a greater personal reflection on our true hope, our Savior and Redeemer. I pray for you to continue experiencing God’s blessings and peace.
We have a winner! Congratulations to blog subscriber, Jane Fulton, on winning this book! I’ll get it in the mail to you this week.
I was provided a free copy of Frog’s Rainy-Day Story in exchange for my honest review.
