Mrs. Collywobbles, a sweet little old lady, has a pet frog that protects her from the horrible creatures that come out of the dark, scary woods by gobbling them up. When she gives the frog a thank-you kiss, however, she is transformed into a sweet little old lady frog and, none too pleased with this, gobbles him up. The rich, patterned language of the text reads aloud well. The illustrations, done in pen and ink then computer manipulated, contrib ute to the story’s folktale flavor by exhibiting unwavering uniformity in Mrs. Collywobbles’s house, the woods, and her personal appearance . ca

Originally published by Walker Books Great Britain, in 2008.

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)!