The Great Frog Race by Kristine O'Connell George

Here is a readers guide for THE GREAT FROG RACE created by graduate student Elizabeth Schneider.

Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776070

Recommended Age Levels 7-12

Summary of Book
This is a wonderful collection of poems about a child enjoying everyday things all year long. Living in the country can be an adventure and this collection of poems shows the discovery of things as simple as a monkey wrench that “jeers at me with a strong-jawed grin” to plowed fields with “raked long deep lines straight as fork tines”. The poems draw the reader in with the imagery of the words and the surprises uncovered by the child. In the spring polliwogs are discovered “huddled in puddles, snuggled in mud” and in the summer water balloons and garden hoses are used in ambushes on each other. Fall and winter bring their own surprises as well. In September the air smells “Spicy. Sharp. Like Freshly sharpened pencils” as school draws near. Winter finally arrives with the old swing covered in snow while hanging from the apple tree. The oil-painting illustrations work with the words to complete the image of the landscape in the country.

Review Excerpts
"An invitation to experience joy and wonder." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"These glimpses of everyday magic, reflected in Kiesler's richly colored paintings, will help young readers see the poetry that surrounds and suffuses them. Family Fun Magazine
"Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. Starred review, Booklist

Awards/Honors Received
1998 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
1998 International Reading Association/ 
Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
NCTE Notable Book in Language Arts
Children's Book of the Year, Bank Street College
New York Public Library 
100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
Critic's Choice U. S. News and World Report

Questions to Ask Before Reading
Invite students to discuss the following questions prior to reading aloud The Great Frog Race and Other Poems
• Ask students to think of their favorite time of year and then ask several students to share one thing from that time of year.
• Ask the students if they have ever heard of a frog race? What do they think it is? Would they like to like to have a frog race?
• Ask the students what a polliwog, monkey wrench, weeping willow, and ambush are – see if any know the answers and tell them they are going to find out in the book.
• Ask students if they have ever been to a farm or out in the country and if they have ask them to share something about it – if they haven’t then tell them they are going to learn some things that happen there and about things found there.

Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
• “The Great Frog Race” – have 5 students come to the front and give each one a stuffed frog and a copy of one verse. Allow them to act out the race of the frogs while reading their verses in order. Repeat with a couple more groups or till all children who wish to have participated.
• “Metal Bucket”, “Garden Hose”, and “Spring Wind” – divide the students into groups and give each group a poem. Allow them to come up with a way to present the poem to the class by dividing up the reading and using actions if they choose.
• “Winter Swing”, “Morning Grasses”, “September”, “Falling Star”, “Dragonfly”, and “Meadow” – give students different copies of the poems and have then have them pair up with someone who has a different poem and read their poem aloud to that person – switch several times till the students have heard all poems.

Follow Up Activities
• Poetry writing
Read the poem “Quiddling with Words” and explain to the students they are going to think of two words they like then open the dictionary and find a word that come between those two words and write a poem. For younger students a vocabulary list can be given so as to narrow the list of words to use and they can find one word to quiddle that they like.

• Science experiments
Read the poem “Polliwogs” and have students observe tadpoles. They can observe the tadpoles for several days and then develop their own poem about them. The same observations and poems can be done for “Waterbugs”, “Egg”, and “Dragonfly” which are all part of the curriculum in one way or another.

• Art
Explain that the illustrations in this book are done in watercolor and that they are very important to helping the reader have the poems come to life. Show the students examples of other watercolors and discuss the emotions they evoke from the viewers. Read the poem “Sunday Drive with Mom” and then have the students use paints to create their own picture of a Sunday drive they are taking.

Related Web Sites
• Kristine O’Connell George website
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/great_frog_race.html
(Look here for teacher ideas and a student section where she reads some of her poems aloud.)
• Frog Websites
http://leapinginto5thgrade.com/frogwebsites.htm
(This is a great resource for all different types of websites from the Froggy Page to Create a Pond. Teachers can use this to teach everything about frogs.)
• Living the Country Life
http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/photos/
(This website has great pictures for showing students what life in the country can look like. Teacher can use this as an introduction to the poems for students unfamiliar with country life.)

Related Books
Poetry
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O’Connell George

Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems For Young People by Jane Yolen

The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination by Mary Ann Hoberman
Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm by Tony Johnston

Fiction
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi
Some Frog by Eve Bunting

Nonfiction
Frogs by Gail Gibbons
The Life Cycle of a Frog by Bobby Kalman


Here is another readers guide for THE GREAT FROG RACE created by Jill Swann.

Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Houghton Mifflin. New York. ISBN: 0-395-77607-4

Recommended Age Level 5-10 years

Summary
A delightful collection of twenty-eight calm, reflective poems, The Great Frog Race and Other Poems ignites the senses and soothes the soul. Told through the voice of a young child living in the country, the poems in this collection recount the wonder of tiny, everyday details. A nature theme is evident throughout most of these verses, bringing to life the marvel of an assortment of bugs and insects, a field, rain, wind, and even a garden hose. Childlike fascination is evident, luring the reader into an easy-going saunter through the joys of being young and carefree.

The reader is invited to share the excitement of polliwogs, “chubby commas… frogs-in-waiting” and a falling star, “ skidding through space/won’t go to bed/ hides in the daisies instead.” Eloquent assonance and alliteration light up the pages, birthing waterbugs, “with quicksilver flicks/ their whip-thin legs whisk/ them away, leaving/ only the narrow wakes/ waterbugs make” and a weeping willow, “I waited all summer/ for my weeping willow/ to weep.” This collection of poems varies in delivery, which is part of the charm. Our narrator innocently imparts her pleasure at seeing the furrows of a freshly plowed field, at smelling a Spring wind, at making music once she is back at school. The march through the seasons is much more of a leisurely stroll, pausing to appreciate simple wonders. Amazing details are unearthed with each glorious trip through the pages.

The rich illustrations of Kate Kiesler contribute to the quaint, personal feel of the book. Skillful delivery and outstanding word selection convey just the right balance of nature, guiding the reader along the narrator’s happy childhood.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal, 04/01/1997
Gr. 3-6 Polliwogs, a dropped ice cream cone, ghosts, and a music class pass through the poetic prism of this pleasant collection. Myra Cohn Livingston comments aptly in the introduction: "In a time when we have a surfeit of verse whose purpose seems mainly to elicit a quick laugh, it is not only refreshing but urgent that our children hear poetry resonating with music, keen observation, fresh metaphor and personification, and meaningful flights of imagination." For personal enjoyment, reading aloud, and encouraging children in the writing of poetry this offering has lots of uses. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Booklist, 03/15/1997
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. George's astute imagery pairs beautifully with Kiesler's rich, warm-toned oil paintings to impart a strong sense of the pleasures of rural landscape. Woven through all is the strong affirmation that being different from everybody else is something special indeed. (Reviewed March 15, 1997)) Karen Morgan. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

Publishers Weekly, 01/27/1997
This first collection of poems by George is a loving appreciation of some of the countryside's greatest treasures and a celebration of a child's view of the world (eyes that see chubby commas when they come upon polliwogs). George's images are quiet but startling in their simple beauty. For this poet, inanimate objects are equally miraculous and become trusted friends for their users, like a metal bucket that "stays with its family/ for life." All around, an invitation to experience joy and wonder. Ages 5-9. (Mar.)

Awards/Honors
*Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
*International Reading Association/ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
*National Council of Teachers of English NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts,
*American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
*Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
*Editors' Choice, U.S. News and World Report
*Society of Illustrators Art Show

Questions to ask before reading:
Engage children in the following discussion before reading The Great Frog Race and Other Poems:
♦ What are some of the signs of the seasons? Brainstorm a list of sights, sounds, smells, and feelings associated with each season.
♦ Display the book cover for the class to see. Examine it, looking for evidence of activity. How does an illustrator show motion or an ongoing activity? How can this effect our perception of a poem or story?
♦ Examine the cover illustration. What clues tell you the time of day? The season?
♦ For children growing up in an urban or suburban setting, elicit ideas of what it would be like to live in the country. Have you ever visited a farm or someone who lives in the country? What was it like there? What did you see, hear, smell, and feel? How is life different for kids who grow up in the city compared to kids who grow up in the country?
♦ What is your favorite sight/sound/smell of the current season? Would it be different during this season if you lived in a different location?
♦ How do authors bring things to life that are not living, such as tools, buckets, a garden hose, or the wind?
♦ Do pictures add to the story when you read a book? Do you prefer to look at the pictures or form your own pictures in your head as you read a story?

Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
“Polliwogs” Invite the class to participate in a choral reading of this poem. Encourage them to use inflection and emotion.
“Waterbugs” Invite partners to practice reading the delightful alliteration, with each partner reading a stanza.
“Ambush” Display the poem for the class to read aloud together, acting out the lines as they read.
“The Great Frog Race” Divide students into groups of five. Have students read the poem aloud, in turn by verse.
“Zeke, an Old Farm Dog” Display the poem for the class to read aloud, each taking a turn reading a line.
“Weeping Willow” Divide students into groups of three. Invite them to each read a stanza, adding action or emotion as appropriate.

Follow Up Activities
Writing
♦ Poetry tells a story with fewer words than prose. Invite students to select one poem from this collection as a theme. Elaborate to retell it as a three-paragraph story.
♦ Select topics associated with nature and/or country living that are not found in the poems of this collection, such as spiders, a grassy hill, wildflowers, baby bunnies, or a windmill. Write each on a strip of paper and place them in a basket. Divide students into small groups. Have each group draw a topic and construct a poem using that theme. Poems could be written as couplets, with each student contributing one couplet, or in any format the teacher prescribes. Share aloud with the class and display in the classroom and/or use as a part of a classroom anthology.
♦ The Great Frog Race is set in the country. Select a different habitat, such as the forest or desert, and create a classroom anthology of poems written on that theme, with each student contributing a poem. Illustrate, if desired. Invite other classes to come to a reading of the anthology, with each student reading his/her own poem.
♦ Invite students to create a poem of their own that could be included in The Great Frog Race, following the theme and free verse style.

Language Arts
♦ Pair The Great Frog Race and Other Poems with the picture book All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. Compare and contrast the literary elements of the books by creating a picture Venn Diagram from the setting.
For example, a plowed field in the middle of the page could be the common area for the two books. Similarities could be written on dirt clods around the field, and might include: set in the country, child narrator, changing seasons, love for the land conveyed, beautiful illustrations, rich details, descriptive language. On one side of the page, frogs racing down a road could represent the poetry collection. On each toad (or toad footprint) details about the poetry could be written, such as: written in verse, uses few words to convey thoughts, some poems written about things at night, etc. On the other side of the page, little sailboats floating down a stream could represent the picture book, with details about it written on the sails: each family member is represented, more words used to build story, each changing scene is connected by the theme of sharing favorite places, etc. This exercise could be done as a whole class, in small groups, with a partner, or individually.
♦ Examine the figurative language throughout the poems. Have students partner up and assign each a poem from the collection. Students will list examples of figurative language from their poem to share with the class. Create a classroom display of their examples.
♦ Use the poem “Quiddling with Words” for a vocabulary-building lesson. Have students use a dictionary to lookup each of the featured words in the poem and share the definitions. Then select other grade appropriate words to look up and share definitions. Invite students to brainstorm descriptive words and phrases, like the ones used in the poem, to bring the words to life. Some example words: obliterate, persnickety, superfluous, extraordinary, deluge, dubious, pungent.
♦ What can students infer about life in the country from reading The Great Frog Race? Allow five to ten minutes to record inferences individually, then share and discuss with the class. As a whole group, compose several generalization statements about life in the country.

Math
♦ Use the nature theme of this poetry collection to construct word problems. Allow students to partner up and create at least five word problems to exchange with another group and solve.
Example: There are 3 polliwogs in the puddle. Once they become frogs, they will have 4 legs each. How many legs in all?
AND
12 raindrops splash on the windowpane. 4 slide off the window. How many are left on the window?
♦ If your class chooses to set up a backyard weather station, as described in the Science section below, use the information to plot charts and graphs. Then write word problems that could be answered from the data displayed on the charts.
Example: How much more rain fell during the week of
September 23 than during the week of October 6?

Science
♦ Investigate the habitat of a farm in the Midwest. What other creatures would live here that are not mentioned in the poems of this collection? Invite students to create poems about those creatures and add them to the class anthology.
♦ Compare and contrast the environment of the meadow with other habitats, such as deserts, rainforests, ponds, mountains, etc. Assign students to research these habitats and construct a diorama that shows plants and animals of three different habitats.
♦ Explore weathering that would take place on items such as the bucket and the snow fence that are subjected to the elements of nature. How do these objects change in appearance over time? What causes some materials to weather more quickly than others? Why do farmers plow fields? How does this ward off erosion in a field?
♦ Create a backyard weather station to observe and record data related to the habitat you live in. Place a thermometer, barometer, wind vane, rain gauge, and any other weather equipment available in a location that students will be able to monitor daily and record in a journal. Plot information on a graph and/or chart and make generalizations gained from these observations. Discuss and predict what the readings would be in the other seasons, or in a different setting.
♦ When sharing this book with younger children, initiate a discussion of the seasons and types of weather associated with each. Look through the artwork in the book, examining details in each that show what season it is.
♦ Study the tracks animals make at http://www.bear-tracker.com/ (scroll down some to get to the track links.) Have students select a track to trace or recreate. Construct a background for the track, with the tracks for an animal leading across the page. Write a short riddle or poem describing “The One That Got Away” for classmates to guess what animal is missing from the picture.

Social Studies
♦ Use a map of the United States to locate areas where meadow habitats might exist. There are many areas that fit this. Discuss as a class how the seasons might be different in each, based on latitude.
♦ The poetry of The Great Frog Race is set in a rural location. How would the poems be different if there was an urban setting? Instead of sights like the snow fence and Zeke the dog roaming free around the farm, what would be common sights in the city that poems might be written about?
♦ Use this activity from www.brainpop.com:
Our Town
 As a class, brainstorm ideas of what cities, towns, or farms need to function. Write their ideas on the board and encourage them to think of what services they need and where they would buy their goods. Then as a class project, design a city, town, or farm together and draw a mural. You can divide your mural into sections and have groups of students draw in their specific sections, or you can have students draw specific buildings, which they can paste onto the mural. Other students can draw roads and bridges connecting the pictures together.
Complete lesson and many other related activities available at http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml

Art
♦ Create 3D art related to these poems for a fabulous classroom display! Begin by having each student paint a watercolor background for one of the poems. Then collect objects to use as the focal points for the art:
-crumbles of white packing peanuts for gnats in Meadow or
snow in Winter Swing
-bits of old black rubber hose for Polliwogs
-dirt to sprinkle on a thin layer of glue for Plowed Fields
-pipe cleaners and wax paper for Dragonfly
-aluminum foil for Metal Bucket
-random twigs for Snow Fence
-leaves for Weeping Willow, etc.
♦ Create a classroom garden, inspired by the natural setting of these poems. Use the “Garden of Weavin’” idea at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/garden-of-weavin-675519/ or use other ideas for flowers of all shapes and sizes. Then invite students to write a poem to accompany their flower in the class garden.
♦ Birdhouses can often be found at craft supply stores for low prices (I have gotten them for $1 or less each many times.) Students can be asked to bring money to cover the cost of a birdhouse if need be. Students will love creating a special house for their fine feathered friends

Related Websites
Poetry
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html
Ms. George maintains an awesome site for poetry lovers, with a designated section for teachers. Lesson plans and activity ideas to accompany many of her books are available.
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx
Dozens of resources and links, including interviews with many poets and a “how to” section with instructions on how to write almost any type of poem.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/02/poetry-of-science-my-poetry-friday.html
Discussion of the poetry of Science. Lots of great resources.

Science
For more information about habitats around the world:
http://science.pppst.com/habitats.html
Includes free PowerPoints
http://www.kidsplanet.org/tt/elemenlessons/
Includes lessons, fact sheets, and puzzles about many habitats
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/habitats.html
Excellent source of information, maps, puzzles, activities, audiovisual presentations, and supplemental materials about habitats of the world.
http://www.allcrafts.net/fjs.htm?url=www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,22-5168,00.html
How to set up a backyard weather station of your own.

For more information on weathering:
http://www.science-class.net/Geology/weathering_erosion.htm
Excellent resource full of free PowerPoints, tons of labs, other websites, and games for upper Elementary and Middle School. Many could be adapted for primary grades.
http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=58210
Teacher Tube video that talks a teacher or class through numerous erosion and weathering activities. Materials needed for each activity are listed at the beginning of each lesson.

Social Studies
For more resources on Rural, Urban, and Suburban settings:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml Background information, teacher, and family ideas for exploring and learning more about types of communities
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g3_u1/index.html
Interactive map on types of communities

Art
Nature crafts galore can be found at
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/
http://www.allcrafts.net/nature.htm#kids
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/summer-crafts-for-kids
Dozens of unique projects kids of all ages will enjoy

Related Books
Poetry
Fletcher, Ralph. 1997. Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring. Ill. By Walter Lyon Krudop. Atheneum. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689810350.
Heard. Georgia. 1997. Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky: Poems. Ill. By Jennifer Ownings Dewey. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1563976353.
Paolilli, Paul, and Brewer, Dan. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Ill. By Dan Brewer and Lou Fancher. Viking Juvenile. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0670889419.
Polisar, Barry Louis. 1999. Insect Soup: Bug Poems. Ill. By David Clark. Rainbow Morning
Music. Silver Springs, MD. ISBN-13: 978-0938663225
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN-13: 978-0618563135.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1999. A Child’s Garden of Verses. Ill. By Brian Wildsmith. Simon and Schuster. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689823824.
Yolen, Jane. 2003. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Ill. By Jason Stemple. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.

Fiction Books
Brett, Jan. 1994. Town Mouse, Country Mouse. Putnam. New York. ISBN 0399226222.
Baylor, Byrd. 1983. The Best Town in the World. Ill. By Ronald Himler. Simon & Schuster. New York. ISBN 0684180359.
Komaiko, Leah. 1996. On Sally Perry's Farm. Simon, New York. ISBN 0689800835.
Martin, Bill Jr. & Archambault, John. 1986. Barn Dance. Ill. By Ted Rand. Henry Holt. New York. ISBN 0805007997.
MacLachlan, Patricia. 1994. All the Places to Love. Ill. By Michael Wimmer. HarperCollins. New York. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.
Wolff, Ferida. 2005. It Is the Wind. Harper Collins. New York. ISBN 9780060281922.

Nonfiction Books
Bernard, Robin. 2001. A Tree For All Seasons. National Geographic Children’s Books. Des Moines, IA. ISBN-13: 978-0792266747.
DK Publishing. 2006. First Nature Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Publishing. New York. ISBN 9780756614157.
King, Zelda. 2009. Examining Meadow Habitats. PowerKids Press. New York. ISBN-13:978-1435827226.
Llewellyn, Claire. 2005. The Best Book of Bugs. Kingfisher. Ashmore City, Queensland, Australia. ISBN-13: 978-0753459010
Pancella, Peggy. 2005. Farm Community (Neighborhood Walk). Heinneman Raintree. Mankato, MN. ISBN-13: 978-1403462220.
Owen, Dr. Jennifer. 1996. Mysteries and Marvels of Insect Life. Ill. By Ian Jackson and Alan Harris. Scholastic, Inc. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0590621618.
Selsam, Millicent. 1995. How to Be a Nature Detective. Ill. By Marlene Hill Donnelly. HarperTrophy. New York ISBN-13: 978-0064451345.

Author Kristine O’Connell George
Kristine George was born in Denver, CO, but she moved often as a child. She credits her varied experiences with giving her a wide background to feed into her poetry. Poetry became her passion after taking a children’s poetry writing class taught by Myra Cohn Livingston at UCLA. Ms. George continued to study with Ms. Livingston until her death in 1996. Ms. George assumed the role of her mentor, and has taught classes in the UCLA Writer’s Program as well. She enjoys sharing her poetry and love of writing in many forums- visiting schools, speaking at workshops and conferences, and on her website, http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html . Ms. George lists reading, crafts, photography, and many outdoor activities as favorite pastimes- perfect adventures to inspire more poetry! She has published twelve books, including eight books of her poetry.

Illustrator Kate Kiesler
A New England native, Kate Kiesler was born in New Hampshire and raised in Vermont. After graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design she began her career as a book illustrator. She enjoys painting with oils, and attempts to add exquisite details to the books she illustrates. She has illustrated for Ms. George in three books, and has eight books to her credit.