Ready…Set…Frog! is the cute and inspiring story of using others to help recognize and work through your feelings and hard times, in order to change the way you see what’s around you and to know your boundaries to keep yourself safe and stress-free. Frog is content in his home on Harmony Lane – he’s energetic and active both physically and mentally; it is not uncommon to spot him outside, challenging himself with activities. Frog’s parents read in the paper about an obstacle course that will soon be happening in Harmony Lane – off Frog goes to start practicing! He struggles throughout the day with getting interrupted by friends who need his help, at the exact time he is preparing to master a specific skill related to the course. Being a kind being who thinks of others more than himself, Frog stops what he’s doing and attends to the need of his friends. It isn’t long before Frog starts to worry when the event is right around the corner and he hasn’t had the chance to practice specific skills. With the help of his mom, he comes to realize that when he helped his friends, it wasn’t just for their benefit, it was also a different way of practicing what he had set out to do. Frog realized that mom was right, and felt better about things, but also made the decision to say “no” more often to prevent himself from undue stress and sorry.
Ready…Set…Frog! receives five stars from both myself and my children; while reading it through, they identified the problem and understood the steps leading up to the solution. The story was clear in its theme and the writing was appropriate for the intended age range. This reader is aware of the progressive increase in mental health symptoms among all ages of the population – a children’s story that covers the topic of boundaries, utilizing others through positive communication to achieve successful problem-solving, viewing situations through different lenses to prevent undue anxiety and stress, being a good friend, the joy in activities that include exercising, and setting goals, will only be beneficial for readers of any age. The illustrations throughout the book are bright and colorful, with much to look at, to draw the attention of the reader, as well as succeeding in their intended purpose of telling the story through pictures. The vocabulary and length of the story are age-appropriate. Ready…Set…Frog! is sure to be a reread in any household or wherever its intended use may be.