School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The forest animals gather for the Moonlight Pond talent contest, but Toad feels he doesn't "have any amazing skills or tricks." Digital and watercolor spreads capture the energy of the crowd of creatures who have congregated under the full moon while Toad finds "the loneliest, most secret corner of the pond" from which to watch the competition. Close-ups pop from the white page and highlight the animals and their abilities: for instance, Snake's agility and Duck and her little ones' teamwork. The text is comprised of a few sentences per page with a delightful variety of verbs. For example, during their performance, the mice "wiggled, jiggled, bounced and.jumped!" A predictable pattern emerges: Toad admires the other animals, then thinks of all the reasons he can't do what they have just done. The pacing is perfect as Toad becomes more and more despondent until he is suddenly noticed. In contrast to the other animals, who are portrayed with color and movement, Toad sits spotlighted in a moonbeam amid blackness. Vignettes depicting Toad as he "slipped and tripped, stumbled and fumbled" adroitly capture the action. This story conveys the message that we all have something to contribute, even if our talents are not the same as others'. It will doubtless be a favorite that is requested often. -VERDICT A great choice for a read-aloud, mentor text on action verbs, or guidance lesson on self-esteem and trying new things. Highly recommended.-Suzanne Costner, Fairview Elementary School, Maryville, TN © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Ah, talent shows. Dancing, acrobatics, contortionthe sky's the limit. Just add a frozen pond on a moonlit winter's night, and there are the makings of an extravaganza extraordinaire. The excitement is enough to encourage even normally hibernating forest critters to brave a little frostbite for the sake of the spectacle. However, Toad (who looks a great deal like a frog) is sure he is talentless and says so, over and over. The self-deprecating, lugubrious laments grow old quickly. "It's best if I keep myself out of sight," he sighs. "The others must think I am silly and useless." And that is just the first lamentation. To make matters worse, the caliber of performances playing out on the ice only serves to reinforce Toad's extreme lack of self-esteem. As the competition draws to an end, an observant snail announcesmuch to Toad's chagrinthat the ambivalent amphibian has yet to compete. Intending to demur, he emerges from the shadows andSlips! Slides! Glides! No one has ever beheld an ice-skating toad before. Amid the uproarious cheers, he's named the winner. Smythe's digitized watercolor illustrations are the indisputable stars here, as the talented sylvan insomniacs erupt from lively, purple-hued pages. Despite his accidental success (he really has no talent), the rallying cry of "You never know what you can do until you try!" is a message timid souls everywhere can embrace. A well-meaning book is dragged down by its sad-sack hero. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
