The Mysterious Tadpole

This is not my favorite [a:Steven Kellogg|68572|Steven Kellogg|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676988p2/68572.jpg] story, but the illustrations are very rich and lush in this new anniversary edition. The story is one of disbelief, it's a fun, endearing tale. Reminded me of [b:A Fish Out of Water|899608|A Fish Out of Water|Helen Palmer Geisel|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320551686s/899608.jpg|728902], but with some added folkloric detail for substance. The endpapers are gorgeous and funny.

It's Louis's birthday and Uncle McAllister has brought him a very special gift: a tadpole all the way from Scotland! Louis can hardly wait for Alphonse to grow into a frog. But it soon becomes clear that Alphonse is not turning into any ordinary frog. First Alphonse outgrows his jar, then the sink, and then the bathtub! This new edition of The Mysterious Tadpole boasts reimagined story twists and entirely new illustrations. The lovable giant of a tadpole has grown into something even more wonderful!

I found The Mysterious Tadpole to be a fun and exciting book. Although I'm in my 20's it kept me hooked and wanting to read more with every page. The pictures are wonderful, and the plot is even more fun. It revolves around children's favorite things, presents! I love that it doesn't just end abruptly, but instead it ends making you wonder what is going to happen next. I have never read this book before, but it quickly became one of my new favorite that is just a fun read to do with younger children.

Summary: The Mysterious Tadpole is by Steven Kellogg. This is a modern fantasy book about a boy who got a tadpole for his birthday. The tadpole grew enormous. The little boy constantly had to move the tadpole because how big it got. He moved him from a bathtub to even a school swimming pool. He wanted to take the tadpole to show his friends and his teacher at school. On the last day of school, since the tadpole was so big, he decided it needed to stay in the school swimming pool for the entire summer. He told his dad about it and by the end of the summer, his dad ended up buying a piece of land and built a huge aquarium for his son’s tadpole. In the end the little boy was very happy because he was allowed to keep his tadpole.
Personal show more Response: I loved reading this book. It was interesting to see how the tadpole grew so large and knowing that tadpoles really don’t grow to be that big. The illustrations brought out the characters very well in this book. The book had a very nice flow and was not too short or too long. I would definitely read this to students in elementary school because I think they would get a kick out of it. They would enjoy reading it because they could probably relate to the little boy in the story because the boy got to take his tadpole to show and tell and it would inspire them to also bring things that mean so much to them for show and tell. This book makes me want to read it over and over again and most books don’t usually have that appeal to me.
Extension: We could take care of a tadpole at school. Everyone could find out facts about tadpoles and post them on a bulletin board along with pictures. show less

I liked this book for many reasons. Firstly, I enjoyed the illustrations of this book because they enhanced the story. For example, each illustration in the book portrays the tadpole growing up and his size in relation to other characters or objects in the book. This allowed the reader to understand the mysterious aspects of the tadpole in the story. I also liked the language of the book because it was simple and easy to read. For example, most of the sentences were short such as “Louis and Miss Seevers bought the parking lot. They hired some helpers.” This made the book flow easily, while also being fun to read. The big idea of this book is that big things can come in little packages and may be a lot to handle.

This is the 25th anniversary of the well-liked 25th year anniversary of this original printing of the tale of Louis who is searching for a correct sized tad pole. When Louis receives a different looking tadpole than others, his love grows in proportion to this unique gift. Soon Alphonse is loved by all

Humorous, original, unique with a story that brings a smile.

The Mysterious Tadpole is a interesting story about a boy who receives a tadpole for his birthday, but this tadpole is not an ordinary tadpole as it grows and grows. He then has to move the tadpole from one water source to the next larger watersource.
I found this book to be a very interesting twist on a classic lockness tale. My favorite was how unsurprised the boy is and how easily the parents handle the circumstances.