Blue Ink Review

Friendship against all odds is a much-explored theme in children’s books as is the device of using animals to deliver the message and moral to youngsters. Trudi Carter utilizes these elements and adds some nice touches in the picture book 

Can Dragons and Frogs Be Friends?

Carter ups the ante in the against-all-odds department by making the animals

in question predator (fire breathing dragon) and prey (frogs). Her story is told

in the form of letters between Forest Squirrel and his buddy Beach Bird

who has migrated south.

As the book opens Squirrel informs Bird of some bad news.

“It’s still scary in Great Forest! The dragons keep chasing frogs to eat them….

The dragons and frogs need to be friends.” 

 In response to such missives, Bird repeatedly warns Squirrel:

”Never! Dragons and frogs will never be friends!

The dragons eat frogs whenever they can! They will  never, ever be friends!”

Bird adds to the anxiety by reporting that he has learned that “Dragon Mama is due to lay an egg any day now. A baby dragon will eat frogs and start fires, too.”

Fortunately things begin to shift when the mother dragon takes a break from her nest

and the father dragon places the egg on a height from which it is blown

into the frog pond.  It quickly becomes clear that the dragon

needs a friend to help him retrieve the egg. 

And what if that friend is none other than one brave frog? 

Can friendship triumph here? 

And if so, what will the dragons dine on instead of frogs?

Through the chatty and engaging letters, Carter answers these question quite nicely, delivering a delightful read-aloud tale. Despite its somewhat contrived nature, the ending is bound to please a young audience.

Written by a Blue Ink Reviewer

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