The Frog at the Window

Katy and her family spend a week away at her grandmother's house for Christmas. When she accidentally leaves the door open, a frog and all the other forest animals decide to spend their Christmas in the warmth of her house. With so many animals there are bound to be problems, but in true Christmas spirit, they all compromise and have a great holiday stay.

I absolutely adored the illustrations in this book! The amount of detail on every page was immaculate, it looks like a lot of thought was put into it. One of the first pages included an image of the frog leaning against the window, at the end of the story you see a picture of a frog in this exact same pose which is what inspired the story. You can also tell how the illustrator added movement within the images. It’s details like these that I love to see in books. The colors, amazing. The details, amazing. I really can’t rave enough about it.

I thought the story was very cute. In the beginning, when the animals kept coming into the house it gave me “The Mitten” by Jan Brett vibes because the frog just wanted to have a warm place to himself but more and more animals keep showing up. I absolutely loved the scene where the house was being judged in the decorating contest and the animals decided to pose, hilarious. I also love the little “Easter eggs” hidden throughout. For example, when the bears come into the house they are talking about the bed, referring to Goldilocks in the 3 Bears. Again, it’s details like these that I absolutely love to see in children’s books.

I think this book is great and any child would find it entertaining. I was smiling while reading it so a child is sure to love it. I 100% recommend it!

Rating: 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!
Book: The Frog at the Window
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW-November 3, 2020
Author: Scott Langteau
Genre: Children’s Fiction

A huge smile!! That is what I had on my face as I read this Christmas story. It is such a cute, funny holiday book. I giggled so many times as I read. I love that the book is a rhyming one but not one that seems forced in order to make it rhyme. I am so excited to read this book to my class and my kids.
It is a story about a girl who meets a frog but must go out of town before they can really talk. While the little girl is gone, the frog finds the door open and decides to rest and get warm. Unbeknownst to him, other forest animals also decide to pull a Goldilocks. The rest of the book shows the frog trying to keep them in line and keep the house together. This is such a sweet, light-hearted book that should be added to your Christmas holiday reads. 

Thank you to @NetGalley, @ShakeTheMoonBooks, and @slangteau for an advanced copy of @TheFrogAtTheWindow

#SLangteau #TheFrogAtTheWindow #ShakeTheMoonBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads

A very imaginative story about some animals making a human house their home over the holidays. I wasn't sure about this one at first but with the lovely illustrations and an amusing story, this one had me smiling as I turned the last page. A fun an original Christmas tale.

This is a lovely story for the run up to Christmas. The illustrations are beautiful and give off a warm, Christmassy feeling. I read this to my 4 year old son and we both loved it. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

Very cute story to read to the little ones during Christmas. 
*Thanks to BookBuzz.net and NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for my honest review

My Thoughts
As we get closer to the holidays, I like to read children's Christmas books. I was excited to get approved for this one! Here are my pros and cons for The Frog at the Window:

Pros

1.  It seems weird to start my review with the very end of the book, but if you flip back to the back where the author’s bio is you will find a real picture of a frog in a window that inspired this story. I thought this was cute!
2.  Super bright and colorful illustrations (by Michaela Brannon) that are whimsical and fun! Young readers will love the antics of these animals!
3.  I loved the rules the animals set up for themselves – particularly the one where they weren’t allowed to eat each other! Ha!
4.  The story is written in verse and verse is typically a big hit with kids.
5.  At one point the animals see random humans coming to the front door of the house. Unfortunately, all the curtains are open!! So, in order to avoid being discovered, the animals fake a holiday window scene to fool the humans. That illustration is hysterical!
6.  It is a cute story and the ending definitely reinforces kindness.

Cons

1.  The backdrop to the story is related to Christmas (the family leaves the house to spend time at Grandma’s for the holidays), and there is a tree and some decorations in the illustrations, but I personally wouldn’t call this a Christmas story.
2.  I felt that some of the rhymes felt forced and the tempo of the verse was a little off from time to time. This doesn’t impact the adorable tale being told, but there were certain parts that felt awkward to read aloud.

Summary
This is a cute story about some animals taking over an empty house during the winter in order to get out of the cold. Their antics in the house are delightful and the illustrations are fantastic. It would make a great holiday gift for a child and is recommended for ages 5-8, although I’m sure even younger children would enjoy it, too. This is definitely a book you will read again and again with your kid’s during the winter and holiday season.

Thank you NetGalley and Shake the Moon Books for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A warm, whimsical piece for the festive season, with a frog able to take advantage of a human home when he manages to access the insecure property and make it his own for the holidays – and inspire an entire menagerie to join him.  A lot of times the beat of the rhyming text threw me off, for it's missed quite regularly, but on the whole the script will read well.  Stronger still, though, is the artwork, presenting almost as 3D with a wonderful use of depth of field.  It has variety in the use of small cameo images, and intentional lack of variety in returning to the same fixed viewpoint at key times, and while it does make the human heroine look about twenty years old, it's a winner.  It's what makes this book a four-star success in my mind.

A very cute holiday story, accompanied by beautiful illustrations, and with a heartwarming message appropriate for children.

Such a fun and unique Christmas story. It's very hard to find holiday books that aren't reindeer, Santa, snowmen and penguins. This was a fun find. My 8 year old loved it and we will definitely be reading it a few times this Christmas season. A magical story and great illustration

What a hilarious, romping holiday tale! It starts with one frog seeking out a warm place to stay during Christmas, and he finds a whole house to takeover all by himself when Katy's family leaves for their Christmas week plans. Little does Frog know, all the other wild forest animals are going to come takeover his vacation pad.

SUPER FUN and CUTE! Would appeal to both boys and girls alike.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.

The Frog at the Window: A Completely Wild Christmas Tale is a delightful little picture book to bring some hopping good times your way (haha, puns).

A big snow storm has come through town, and Katy is curled up all warm inside. Suddenly, she looks over and sees a shivering frog outside! This little froggy is gonna make a world of difference for Christmas, just you wait and see. He becomes much like Goldilocks, taking up space in the warm house with lots of amenities about. That sounds great, right? No! More animals make their way inside, because this Christmas is all about the critters. They have all taken up resident until the humans return. This is gonna be one magical, animalistic Christmas.

This book is so utterly cute and such a fun yet goofy ride. This book is set at Christmas time, but feels like the kind of book you can read to anyone during the holidays. The focus is not necessarily Christmas but the antics these animals get into. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, this is a great holiday book. It's all about a young girl giving some warmth to her animal friends. Except, maybe teach your kids to not do that. 

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shake the Moon Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The illustrations in this book are so colorful and bright, they were awesome.  This is a fun book about a group of animals making themselves a home in a house while the family is away.  It is a fun Christmas tale to share with your little ones.

Thank you NetGalley for the DRC.

An entertaining book for children with bright and detailed illustrations and an original storyline. I can imagine the appeal of this book will be huge with a younger audience.

The frog at the window has found a home for himself and his new friends. This book is a fun christmas story with vibrant illustrations. Kids will love the animals shenanigans. My only critique is that I wish the font were larger.

I thought that this book was lovely and it was a wonderful Christmas story!

The story was fun and I loved the different illustrations in the book, they really brought the story to life.

I am a sucker for kids books with animals and Christmas and this had both!

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

This was a lovely holiday read with vibrant illustrations and a warm story about animals partying for Christmas. Children will appreciate the message of spreading the holiday cheer and making sure everyone has a good time. The picture book is on the longer side and is therefore more appropriate for slightly older audience.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review by NetGalley. 

Oh golly gee, how adorable is this story! My four year old had me reading it almost daily to her and we have it on our holiday book wish list for the hard copy of this year. You will be coming back to read this one over and over again for years to come.

This was an adorable little tale of the woodland animals taking over a home while the family was away for the holidays. The illustrations were a perfect depiction of the words and it flowed well from start to finish. My kids enjoyed it, as did I. Would recommend to a friend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

The Frog at the Window is a lovely Christmas tale inspired by a real life photo, about what our wild animal friends might be up to while we're away visiting family for the holidays!

Fun and imaginative, The Frog at the Window immediately captured my heart with its lively and colorful illustrations. The prose has a wonderful beat which accompanies its story as every woodland creature you can think of takes over the family home, just in time for a ruckus Christmas party!

While simple in its plot, this children's book is full of heart and fun. I highly recommend it to every family who enjoys a good holiday nighttime story.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Great book about animals taking over someone's house for the holidays. Laugh out loud moments and excellent illustrations. This is going on my wishlist.

I was granted access to an eARC of The Frog at the Window by Shake the Moon Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not swayed my opinion. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest. 

The Frog at the Window is the adorable rhyming tale of local wildlife settling in as unlikely roommates for the holidays while Katy and her family are away at her grandmother's house. The story is so fun and charming, complete with a cute reference to Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, and I love how the illustrations add to the literary nods. (The fox in the Robin Hood outfit was my favourite!) 

I can see this becoming a cherished Christmas favourite for countless kids and families, and I will absolutely make sure the parents and teachers in my life know about it.

Looking for a more unusual Christmas story this year? Here’s one about an adorable little frog who takes advantage of an empty house for Christmas. Except soon word gets out and more and more animals arrive at this sweet vacation animal Airbnb. With chaos about to take over, frog lays down some house rules. But what will they do when two humans enter the yard and spot them inside? The rhymes are cute, the illustrations are wonderful and I laughed at the animals’ solution. Make sure to read through the last page to see the picture of the little frog who inspired the tale. B+

Thank you to NetGalley and Shake The Moon Books for my copy of The Frog at the Window by Scott Langteau, it published November 3, 2020.
What a creative and fun winter book! Although it's technically Christmas, I think you could totally count this as a winter book! And the little picture of the frog made the three children I was reading to very excited!
This rhyming book has a nice, readable cadence, with lots of heart and humor. The illustrations are unique, colorful and gorgeous. The lend for lots of extra gazing, trying to find all the animals and all the activities they are doing.
I think this would make a great gift for any person who enjoys picture books!