03/24/2016
"City Dog Country Frog" by Mo Willems
Copyright 2010, 64 pages
Anthropomorphic Fiction

Picture taken from goodreads.com

I read this book with one of my students during reading time. While he enjoys the story more, I personally like the illustrations a little better. The water color paintings are very realistic, making it easier to picture this story happening in real life. I also like how the author picked a dog and a frog of all animals - just because it's a little easier to pronounce together. Story-wise, I think this is one of those picture books that can spark a conversation. What happened to Country Frog? Did he lose a friend too when he first met City Dog? Does this mean no friendship lasts forever? Is that bad?

I always prefer books that allow readers to guess the moral behind the story rather than the ones that hand it out in a silver platter. This way I can engage more with the story and try to connect it with my own real life. In this case, I thought back to all the childhood friendships I've had and lost. All the people I used to endlessly talk to are now long-gone strangers. They have new friends now. So do I. That said, I'm an adult now. If I read this book as a nine-year old, would I make that connection? If not, what sort of message would I pull out of this story? At a quick glance from other people's reviews, there seems to be a general consensus that this book is "incredibly sad". My student, however, told me this book has a happy ending because City Dog made a new friend. So when I say this book sparks conversations, I really do mean it. Great book all around.