By Dottie Dewberry For the WPT
MABEN — Do you know what a frog is before it is a frog? Well, it’s a tadpole.
The April 27 story at the Maben Public Library’s Story Hour, “The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog” by Ana Martin Larranaga, was about a tiny tadpole about as big as a dime before it grew into the big wide-mouthed frog in our story.
One day a frog decided to leave the pond and go off to see the world. Everyone he met, he asked them who they were and what did they eat. Then the frog would tell them that he was a big wide-mouthed frog and that he ate flies.
Along the way he met a kangaroo, a koala, a possum and an emu that were all friendly and none of them ate frogs. One day the frog met Knobby Brown Log, who said, “I am a crocodile and I eat wide-mouthed frogs.”
All of a sudden the big wide-mouthed frog squeezed his mouth up into a pucker and whispered: “I’m just a narrow-mouthed frog and I’m off.” Then he hopped away as fast as he could hop.
After this, Ms. Mary gave them frog coloring sheets and watercolors, which is always fun. After a while they finally finished with the frog and moved on to more creative art.
Ms. Mary always keeps the best for last and that was playing with the shaving cream and making pictures, or just playing patty-cake with creamy white hands.
After checking out books and getting a stick of gum, out the door they ran with grandmother or momma bringing up the rear.