In Grump C’s GOODNIGHT SWOGG THE SILLY FROG, Swogg is a frog who lives in a Bubbly Bog in Skunk Hollow, with his many animal friends. They come in all shapes and sizes: beavers, herons, trout, minnows, tadpoles, and even earthworms and snails. Skunk Hollow is a beautiful place, with its brightly colored flowers and sparkling stream. Swog loves his home and his ten best friends. One night, Swogg goes to bed on his comfortable green lily pad under the stars, but he can’t seem to fall asleep. All the other frogs and crickets are singing, and the noise is bothering him. Swogg doesn’t know what he should do. He thinks about how to solve his problem and has a few ideas. Maybe he can ask them to be quiet. Or maybe he could cover his ears? Perhaps he should just ignore them. What will Swogg do? Will he get any sleep at all? Or will he be awake all night?
GOODNIGHT SWOGG THE SILLY FROG is a cute story. The illustrations, which were done by Stefanie St. Denis, are adorable, very bright and animated. The animals are well drawn and realistically colored with quirky little touches. Kids will love them. It’s also cool that Skunk Hollow is based on a real place that was special to the author and their grandfather, which gives the book a very personal feel. And parents and children will really appreciate that afterword that explains the inspiration for the book. But the story itself, while well-written, is a little too simplistic, even for the younger children for which the book is intended. Swogg just sits on a lily pad and thinks up ways to solve his problem but he doesn’t actually do anything. It’s not like he needs to go on a grand adventure to make the story work, but if his ideas for getting to sleep were things he did, it would be much more fun and interesting.
GOODNIGHT SWOGG THE SILLY FROG by Grump C is a simple little tale, based in nature, that is beautifully illustrated.
~Heather Stockard for IndieReader