Tadpole's Promise

If you're looking for children's picture books with totally unexpected endings, this fits the bill. It's a love story between a tadpole and a caterpillar which turns into a tragedy between a frog and a butterfly. But hey, a frog's gotta eat, right?Tony Ross's illustrations are filled with whimsy and spot-on facial expressions.

Being that the Editorial Review explains the story in full detail I won't reiterate the ending, which is the crux of this story. I checked this book out from the library because my daughter is very interested in tadpoles and frogs. I must say that I was aghast when I read the ending of this story. Luckily (so I thought) I read it on my own while my daughter was in bed. Being that days earlier we released a monarch butterfly that we had from the caterpillar stage, I figured this was NOT a book for my daughter. I made the mistake of leaving the book out though and she saw it and begged me to read it to her, which I did reluctantly. She LOVED it!! She laughed hysterically at the ending. I was worried that she would be upset, but there sat my 4 year old laughing and laughing, "Read it again, read it again!!" That gave me permission to love the story and the uniqueness of it. I and every other adult that I gave it to thought there would be the happy couple at the happy ending because the caterpillar would see the error of her ways once she changed into a butterfly (ho hum, yawn). Each was just as shocked as I was at the outcome. Every kid we shared it with thought it was soooo funny. Because of the surprise ending, my daughter is very eager to share the book and she delights in the reader's reaction. She gets to experience the surprise over and over through each reader. I find the vertical format to be a clever arrangement for this sky and underwater story. I also like the illustrator's style and feel that he adds to the story with little extras, like a fish chasing some other tadpoles (a bit of foreshadowing) and vice versa. I also like the frog offering the caterpillar a water plant much like a person offering a bouquet of flowers when asking for forgiveness. And the ironic image of the frog with the caterpillar's new wings (her change which we thought was going to make all well) sticking out of his mouth: priceless. Although be it a bit (ok, a lot) unorthodox, this is a story about accepting each others differences...and if you're mean you pay for it! :o) Needless to say, this book is on our wish list ready for our next purchase and will also be given as gifts...but only to those we know can handle it.

I had already owned this book, loaned it to a friend and lost it, so I needed a replacement. The best part of this book is the totally unexpected ending which I will NOT reveal here! It might upset younger children because it could possibly make them sad, so preview it before you use it as a read aloud. But I read it to teachers at professional development sessions to get their attention! They ALWAYS gasp at the ending!!

This book is so fun. It is not often a children's book has a surprise ending. Not for the super sensitive reader 🙂

Great book with a surprise ending. Got it for my kids for Christmas. They all want to take it to school to show their class mates. E we got a kick out of it.

This is a "different" book. It is fun to watch people's faces when they read this book. Little kids might find it hard to understand.

Love the story and the ending is not what you or the kids will expect,Read this book to my son's first grade class, not one of the 23 kids had read this book and they clapped/laughed at the end!Love the illustrations!

I used this book for a lesson on food chains. My students loved it and thought the surprise ending was very funny.

I adore everything about this picture book. Unlike other books it doesn’t quite have a happy ending, it’s rather a very funny and also very British ending. It contains the life cycle of a frog and also touches the one of a butterfly. I’ll definitely use it in my EFL classroom. Big recommendation!

I loved this book. 'Nothing negative to say. Those who say this is a little harsh for children.. I disagree. Its a beautifully written and illustrated book.

El libro es genial para explicar el proceso de metamorfosis de dos animales diferentes: la rana y la mariposa. A mi hijo al principio no le gustó demasiado la historia porque no tiene un final feliz, pero cuando le expliqué el concepto del "instinto animal" y la "cadena alimentaria" lo entendió mejor y ahora le encanta. Si además puedes ir de excursión a un río y ver renacuajos en los diferentes estados en que se presentan en el libro, mejor aún (nosotros así lo hicimos y le pareció fascinante). Lo recomendaría a todo aquel que le gusten los animales.

I loved this book. I found it in the library and read it to my (then) four year old. I was so surprised by the ending I spent a good ten minutes laughing hard about the refreshing ridiculousness of the whole thing. It has stayed with me since then (six years at the time of writing) and I have often thought about it and chuckled at the brutal ending . I am now purchasing it to read with my three year old twins.There are no rules to say what a picture book "should" be. So many are a namby pamby, flaccid excuse for entertainment with no backbone or storyline at all these days (just look at Peppa Pig). Remember the original Grimm's fairy tales? Wolves having people cut out of them, horrific treatment of Cinderella, an evil step mother sending a huntsman to kill Snow White and then poisoning her with an apple? Even The Little Mermaid! She doesn't get the guy and turns into sea foam! All this after she endures the pain of her tail turning to legs. Disney has a lot to answer for.Having come to write this review in defence of the book, as so many seem to think it's unsuitable for kids, I see nothing wrong with this story for kids AT ALL. I've sat and evaluated the ending at the deeper level and have realised it provides a solid platform for discussing how the only constant in life is change, people will change over time depending on their circumstances and own specific life experiences, how they may not always be who they appear to be (especially online) and to take care when choosing who to trust, especially with your heart.Well done Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross!

オタマと幼虫が出てきたので…もしや！と思いましたが，とってもいいお話です。職場の子どもたちにも読み聞かせようと思います。英語だけど，かわいい絵と一緒だから，分かると思います:)ちなみに，ケンカしたとき，彼に見せました。なにか感じてくれたみたいです。子どもよりも，大人の方が，気付かされることが多いかもしれません。