A Spoonful of Frogs
by Casey Lyall; illus. by Vera Brosgol
Primary    Greenwillow    40 pp.    g
7/22    978-0-06-289029-0    $17.99

An apron-clad witch who’s the host of her own TV cooking show walks readers step-by-step through her recipe for Frog Soup. After heating the cauldron and adding spices and veggies, she reaches for the pièce de resistance: a “spoonful of frogs.” Unfortunately for her, but hilariously for readers, the would-be ingredients repeatedly, cleverly hop away, evading the stew, stirring up trouble, and ultimately providing inspiration for a brand-new recipe. Lyall’s spare, mostly restrained text uses ear-pleasing, catch-phrase-worthy repetition and variation (“Put. The FROGS. On. The SPOON”) while Brosgol’s retro-chic, increasingly frazzled digital illustrations are a chef’s-kiss of comic timing.

From the September/October 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.