Gilbert de la Frogponde: A Swamp Story

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

The offbeat humor in this “swamp story” will delight small children
with its fantasy, irony, and wonderful illustrations.

Gilbert de la Frogponde is a frog so fat that he cannot swim, moves
very slowly, and usually basks on deserted docks. When two gourmet chefs
arrive at his pond in search of dinner, Gilbert must use his wits to
escape. He can save his skin only by convincing the cooks that bugs, not
frogs, are the culinary trend, that frogs’ legs are no longer popular
in stylish restaurants. Like Scheherazade, Gilbert spins a nearly
nonstop tale: “There’s Hornet Jalapeno, there’s Caterpillar Stew /
and Horsefly Primavera Though the wings are hard to chew.” The tale is
told entirely in rhyme.

Rose Cowles’s vivid and colorful illustrations of Gilbert, as he
encourages the two gourmet cooks to taste many of the bugs in the swamp,
are gruesomely delightful. Youngsters will shiver with happy horror.
Adult readers will be amused by the parodies of haute cuisine. Highly
recommended.