Title: By Mouse & Frog
Author/Illustrator: Deborah Freedman
Age Group: 2-5
Synopsis: Mouse and Frog both want to tell a story and find that taking turns, sharing, and still be good friend is difficult.
The Lowdown:
There are some friendships that stem from the old adage: “Opposites attract.” Be that as it may, certain types of opposites take a fairly delicate balancing act. My husband and I are examples of this rule, contrasting in many, many ways. But it’s pretty safe to say that after realizing that we’re both pretty important to each other we’ve made the effort to change, either within our own behavior or our expectations of the other person. I think it’s pretty much the same for every relationship to varying degrees. Mouse and Frog fit this to a T. Two total opposites that find a way to work together because it’s important to them. Paired with Deborah Freedman’s absolutely beautiful style of illustration it’s a great example of how compromise and acceptance can go a long way towards making a relationship work. 
Mouse opens the story with a tidy beginning. He’s writing a new story, nice and neat, when all of a sudden Frog bounds in with an overabundance of excitement. Frog quickly gets carried away with the idea of the story and ends up taking over. And not in a way that pleases Mouse at all. Finally Mouse loses his cool and a very apologetic Frog takes quite a a large step back. While Mouse feels better, Frog feels left out. Here we have a turning point. Mouse makes an effort to include Frog but makes it clear that he wants the story to be a joint venture. And when the two friends create a story together, it leads them into a magical sort of land that they can both enjoy. 
Deborah Freedman’s characters always seem to have a sweet softness about them. Quite similar to Molly Idle I think. They’re different styles but there is a similarity. Additionally, Freedman’s use of watercolors can spill out of their lines and spread across the page. The effect is really striking. Freedman also has a specific love for quirky details that add extra life to the story. As Frog’s story progresses, more and more pieces become physically illustrated but once Mouse puts a stop to that Frog begins erasing bits and the characters being erased have looks of horror on their faces. Another striking feature is that for a majority of the story most of the page is in black, white, or muted tones with the exception of Frog and Mouse. However, when they finally work together, their world changes, just bringing home the importance of compromise in a good relationship.
Providing a good relationship example for Bug and Peanut is obviously important to us but it’s also essentially valuing yourself and those that are around you which makes relationships work. And that, as a lesson to be learned and applied towards life, is priceless. By Mouse & Frog encourages not only writing but compromise, friendship, and sticking up for yourself. Overall, the messages and illustrations combined make for an amazing gem of a story that would be a treasure in any library.
Story Tips:
- Play Drawing Stories (instructions under Story Tips in the Lost For Words review). The key to link it to the story is to play this together. Let your little one lead but allow them an opportunity to practice compromising by adding in your own bits (suggesting a specific color, number etc.). If they’re quite resistant keep your contributions small. As they get better, it’ll be easier and the stories will provide not just an opportunity to work together but a fun, creative setting to practice these important skills and learn new vocabulary. For advanced users draw on only one piece of paper.
I need more!
Deborah Freedman has some great books. Some of our other favorites include: Blue Chicken and The Story of Fish and Snail. I’m still trying to get ahold of This House, Once but am quite optimistic that it too will be amazing. For more information go to http://www.deborahfreedman.net/
