Synopses & Reviews
A frog full of tadpoles? Impossible! Here, for the first time, is the strange but true story of Darwins frog. After Charles Darwin discovered the frog in 1834, other researchers found that one of his specimens was packed full of tadpoles. Was the frog a cannibal, or perhaps a rare species that gave birth to live young instead of laying eggs? No. He was a male, holding the tadpoles safe in his vocal sac while they morphed into froglets. And the surprises didnt stop there. Author and frog scientist Marty Crump mines her firsthand experiences studying Darwins frog to tell the fascinating story for young readers. Award-winning illustrators Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez lend their art to a mix of beautiful photographs. Young readers will be enthralled by this story of real science, full of strange surprises.
Review
". . . Eye-catching and thought-provoking."--School Library Journal, starred review
Review
". . . The eye-catching volume is illustrated with color photographs, detailed artistic renderings of the frog by Jenkins, and ink-and-watercolor portraits of the various human personalities involved by Rodriguez, making its creation as collaborative as science itself. An attractively designed and informative introduction to a fascinating amphibian full of strange suprises."--KIrkus Reviews
Review
". . . Jenkin's cut-paper constructions combine with Rodriguez's portraits of scientists and with arresting color photographs of the frogs in the wild. Crump investigates a riddle of biodiversity with clarity and style."--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A frog packed with tadpoles! How could that be? No one had ever seen this species before, and they had certainly never seen a frog full of polliwogs. This is the story of a frog that stumped scientists for decades. This fascinating tale of scientific discovery chronicles “how we know what we know” about the exotic Darwin’s frog, including the surprising discovery that the male broods the tadpoles in his vocal sac, and it details the creation of a program to protect the species from a deadly fungus.
About the Author
Marty Crump, PHD, is adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. She has written several books for adults. Her writing for children has appeared in Highlights for Children magazine.Steve Jenkins has received numerous awards and critical praise for his art work and innovative book design. Recent titles include Bones, Never Smile At a Monkey, and Life on Earth. His books have sold more than one million copies worldwide. He lives in Boulder, CO.