Frog Day
A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Amphibian Lives
9780226830209
9780226830216
Frog Day
A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Amphibian Lives
An illustrated hourly guide that follows twenty-four frogs as they eat, find mates, care for their young, and survive our harsh and changing planet.
In this short book, celebrated biologist Marty Crump leads readers on a worldwide field trip in search of frogs. Each chapter of Frog Day covers a single frog during a single hour, highlighting how twenty-four different species spend their time. Our day begins at midnight in Indonesia, with the rustle of leaves above. It’s not a bird, but Wallace’s flying frog, using its webbed feet and emerald-green skin flaps to glide through the forest canopy. In the early hours of the morning, we hear a horned marsupial frog “bopping” and a wood frog “quacking” to attract mates. At six o’clock in the morning, beneath a streetlight in Honolulu, we meet a corpulent, invasive cane toad slurping insects—and sometimes snakes, lizards, turtles, birds, and mice. At noon, we watch parenting in action as an African bullfrog bulldozes a path through the mud to free his tadpoles from a drying pond. At dusk, in a Peruvian rain forest, we observe “the ultimate odd couple”—a hairy tarantula and what looks like a tiny amphibian pet taking shelter in the spider’s burrow. Other frogs make a tasty meal for this tarantula, but the dotted humming frog is a friend, eating the ants that might otherwise make a meal of the tarantula’s eggs.
For each hour in our Frog Day, award-winning artist Tony Angell has depicted these scenes with his signature pen and ink illustrations. Working closely together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Crump and Angell have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two—and a true gift for readers, amateur scientists, and all frog fans.
In this short book, celebrated biologist Marty Crump leads readers on a worldwide field trip in search of frogs. Each chapter of Frog Day covers a single frog during a single hour, highlighting how twenty-four different species spend their time. Our day begins at midnight in Indonesia, with the rustle of leaves above. It’s not a bird, but Wallace’s flying frog, using its webbed feet and emerald-green skin flaps to glide through the forest canopy. In the early hours of the morning, we hear a horned marsupial frog “bopping” and a wood frog “quacking” to attract mates. At six o’clock in the morning, beneath a streetlight in Honolulu, we meet a corpulent, invasive cane toad slurping insects—and sometimes snakes, lizards, turtles, birds, and mice. At noon, we watch parenting in action as an African bullfrog bulldozes a path through the mud to free his tadpoles from a drying pond. At dusk, in a Peruvian rain forest, we observe “the ultimate odd couple”—a hairy tarantula and what looks like a tiny amphibian pet taking shelter in the spider’s burrow. Other frogs make a tasty meal for this tarantula, but the dotted humming frog is a friend, eating the ants that might otherwise make a meal of the tarantula’s eggs.
For each hour in our Frog Day, award-winning artist Tony Angell has depicted these scenes with his signature pen and ink illustrations. Working closely together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Crump and Angell have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two—and a true gift for readers, amateur scientists, and all frog fans.
200 pages | 24 halftones | 4 3/4 x 6 | © 2024
Biological Sciences: Behavioral Biology, Natural History
Reviews
Table of Contents
Preface
Artist’s Note
Midnight: Wallace’s Flying Frog (Asia)
1 AM: Horned Marsupial Frog (Central and South America)
2 AM: Mud-Nesting Frog (South America)
3 AM: Wood Frog (North America)
4 AM: Wandolleck’s Land Frog (New Guinea)
5 AM: Crawfish Frog (North America)
6 AM: Cane Toad (South America, Introduced Elsewhere)
7 AM: Common Midwife Toad (Europe)
8 AM: Golden Poison Frog (South America)
9 AM: Pacific Horned Frog (South America)
10 AM: Tomato Frog (Madagascar)
11 AM: Bornean Foot-Flagging Frog (Asia)
Noon: African Bullfrog (Africa)
1 PM: Rockhole Frog (Australia)
2 PM: Giant Frog (Australia)
3 PM: Yucatán Shovel-Headed Treefrog (Mexico, Central America)
4 PM: Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad (Asia)
5 PM: Darwin’s Frog (South America)
6 PM: Reticulated Humming Frog (South America)
7 PM: Rosenberg’s Gladiator Frog (Central and South America)
8 PM: Matang Narrow-Mouthed Frog (Borneo)
9 PM: Túngara Frog (Central and South America, the Caribbean)
10 PM: African Clawed Frog (Africa, Introduced Elsewhere)
11 PM: Common Toad (Europe, Asia, Africa)
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Index
Artist’s Note
Midnight: Wallace’s Flying Frog (Asia)
1 AM: Horned Marsupial Frog (Central and South America)
2 AM: Mud-Nesting Frog (South America)
3 AM: Wood Frog (North America)
4 AM: Wandolleck’s Land Frog (New Guinea)
5 AM: Crawfish Frog (North America)
6 AM: Cane Toad (South America, Introduced Elsewhere)
7 AM: Common Midwife Toad (Europe)
8 AM: Golden Poison Frog (South America)
9 AM: Pacific Horned Frog (South America)
10 AM: Tomato Frog (Madagascar)
11 AM: Bornean Foot-Flagging Frog (Asia)
Noon: African Bullfrog (Africa)
1 PM: Rockhole Frog (Australia)
2 PM: Giant Frog (Australia)
3 PM: Yucatán Shovel-Headed Treefrog (Mexico, Central America)
4 PM: Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad (Asia)
5 PM: Darwin’s Frog (South America)
6 PM: Reticulated Humming Frog (South America)
7 PM: Rosenberg’s Gladiator Frog (Central and South America)
8 PM: Matang Narrow-Mouthed Frog (Borneo)
9 PM: Túngara Frog (Central and South America, the Caribbean)
10 PM: African Clawed Frog (Africa, Introduced Elsewhere)
11 PM: Common Toad (Europe, Asia, Africa)
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Index