With deliciously ugly villains and a gasp-inducing ending, this quirky tale of the unexpected will have readers croaking with laughter.

Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, so it’s a good thing that she has a pet frog to protect her. Too bad for the Greedy Goblin, the Smelly Troll, and the Giant Hungry Ogre, who don’t take this little amphibian seriously (GOBBLE)!

From School Library Journal
Grade 1–4—This is a quirky story in which an old woman who lives alone at the edge of a dark, scary wood is protected by her pet frog. The creature easily handles any danger by swallowing each potential evildoer whole. The first villain to meet his fate is Greedy Goblin, followed by Smelly Troll, and finally Giant Hungry Ogre. As each bad guy nears Mrs. Collywobbles's house, he recites a rhyme themed around his distinct characteristics. "Nickerty-noo, nickerty-noo,/if I get a chance,/I'll steal from you," sings Greedy Goblin. The tale ends with a wicked twist. The narration and illustrations are joined tightly together. The text describes the scene in the pictures, pointing out specific things to notice. "Look! There is little Mrs. Collywobbles, hiding in her bathroom." The pen-and-ink and Macintosh artwork statically captures the "action" and creatively portrays each character. As he gobbles each villain, the frog sits passively with the feet, tail, and clothes of his victim hanging out of his mouth. Bright, flat colors contrast sharply against the white background. Stylized flowers and leaves give the pictures a 1960s look. The odd deadpan humor will not appeal to every child, but older readers and literature students will appreciate the irony of this almost fairy tale.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
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