Frog in a Fog
Marielle Bayliss and Mariela Malova
Graffeg
Frog is in high spirits at the start of this rhyming tale as he boogies on a log along with three bhangra-loving bumblebees; seemingly he hasn’t a care in the world. However that quickly changes as a large lorry starts up emitting foul fumes. Frog then has to make his way through piles of litter of the plastic kind. Then in the fen he continues dancing with Wren and Snipe until foul fluids gush from a rusty pipe flooding the pool and further fumes make the air murky.
Come the evening Frog and a friend rhumba under the stars but what they’re dancing on is a massive pile of trash and suddenly Frog’s leg becomes stuck on a wrapper and the froggy twosome tumble into the mire.
Things deteriorate further still when Grayling flaps her fishy tail and the shimmying pair hit the ground finding themselves too close for comfort to a blazing fire left burning beside the lake. As the froggy friends sit huddled together they ponder upon the horrific pollution they’ve encountered during the day. Happily though Grayling then surfaces once more and tells them the good news concerning a special location; it’s a nature reserve and it’s free from all detritus.
Led by Grayling, they make their way to the reserve. Frog starts to spread the word and to this unpolluted paradise come all manner of creatures where nightly they perform their celebratory dances while in the bog frogspawn floats and glistens in the moonlight.
The message about pollution comes across loud and clear in Marielle Bayliss’s dramatic story. Mariela Malova’s quirky illustrations are full of movement starkly contrasting the delights of dancing with the desolation of the polluted landscapes. I particularly like the portrayal of the wren vibrating with song.
One word of warning for adult readers aloud: you may need a bit of practice to do justice to the rhythm of the rhyming narrative.
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