Carl The Frog.

Carl The Frog

David N. Weiss

Worthwhile Books

5080 Santa Fe Street, San Diego, CA 92109

978600103384 $16.99 myworthwhilebooks.com

David N. Weiss touches on some major issues in his children's book "Carl The Frog." Although written for children, Weiss' characters exhibit timeless depth and meaning. The practicality of the lessons learned in this story can be appreciated and applied to everyday life by readers young and old. Weiss' story fosters problem-solving skills and encourages self control when dealing with a problem.

The tale of "Carl The Frog" begins at the point where all life begins. Carl starts his life as an egg and develops into a tadpole. Life seemed so wonderful to Carl in his early developmental stages. As he grows, so does his tongue. It stretches and reaches far and long. Now that Carl has become a frog, he grows ever so hungry, and so begins all of his troubles.

Carl faces a big problem. He feeds his hunger by eating his friends. As Carl's world becomes lonelier and lonelier, we reach the crux of his problem. His tummy was full, but his heart was empty. He has a moment of self-realization where he reflects upon himself. He realizes that eating his friends was making him lonelier than ever. As is usually the case, everything comes full circle when a kingfisher wants to eat Carl. He begs and pleads for his life. The kingfisher provides the moral of the story: "If all you care about is getting what you want, all you'll get is ...what you deserve."

After making a dramatic escape, Carl becomes ill from his adventures, causing him to regurgitate all of his friends he had previously eaten. It is almost satirical when Carl thinks to himself that life was much easier when he was a tadpole. Readers of all ages can easily relate to the character of Carl the Frog.

Carl then meets an ant and hunger overwhelms him once again. However, this time, he fights giving into his desire, and exercises self-control. In the end, Carl is rewarded when his friend the ant invites him to a picnic where he enjoys communing with his friends rather than eating them.

Weiss does a remarkable job making such a simple story transcend age barriers, allowing for a comfortable environment where open dialogue between parent and child can take place. Along with the fable-like quality of this book, the vibrant illustrations created by Pete Whitehead, compliments Weiss' characters so that they truly come alive to the reader.

Jennifer Ochs, Reviewer

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