Pacific Tree Frogs

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

If you are in the mood for a ribbeting good read, try this informative
book. To be accurate, tree frogs do not go “ribbet.” They go
“reek, reek, reek,” but that is just one of hundreds of things
readers will find out. The book traces the Pacific tree frog’s life
cycle from egg to adult, and as it turns out, it truly is tough being
green. A tree frog spends most of its life trying to not end up skewered
by a sharp-billed wading bird or swallowed whole by a lurking garter
snake. At the same time, the frog has to catch bugs, find a mate, and
avoid perishing by drought when the local frog pond dries up. Owen has
done her research well. Every facet of a tree frog’s life is neatly
laid down in prose that will be enjoyed by young and adult naturalists
alike.

George Juhasz’s outstanding artwork is a bonus. Each highly realistic
image is amazing to look at and makes the reader want to linger over
every page. The book ends with a warning about how human activities are
impacting on tree frog habitat. Owen asks young readers to get involved
both locally and globally to save wetlands, because tree frogs are an
important indicator of the health of our own human habitat. Highly
recommended.