This book full of adorably pudgy toads has everything:

1. Potential for a STEM-related activities. Teeny and her brothers must solve the problem of how to get their mom out of a bucket using the power of engineering! They build a ladder and Teeny builds a kite.

2. Potential for discussion of gender roles. Why do the big brothers not listen to Teeny? Why do they not give her credit for her ideas until the end?

3. Very fun rhyming text that bounces along. Sample: "Brothers tumbled, bumble-jumble, as they stumbled for the door. Don't you worry, kid. We'll save her! Off the seven toadies tore."

4. Animal rights, y'all. Think before you toadnap a mama toad. Her lil toadies need her. ( )

toads as protagonists ... ( )

In this book, a small toad named Teeny and her brothers try to rescue her mother who is captured in a bucket. Although she tries offering ideas, she struggles due to her small size and her brothers pushing her aside and disregarding her efforts to help. Eventually, her brothers end up falling into the bucket, and Teeny is forced to find a way to rescue all of her family.

This book could be used to help students predict what the main character will do (when Teeny has to find away to help her family despite her small size). It could also be used to help students infer what a character is feeling or thinking (when Teeny is repeatedly ignored or disregarded by her brothers). There are also a lot of actions verbs that I could help define to expand student verb vocabulary. The author uses rhyme throughout the book which is another literary device students can study to develop phonological awareness.

When I conjure up mental pictures of frogs and toads, I envision ponds, lakes, tall weeds, cat-tails, algae covered water, lily pads, water skimming insects, and the croaking of toads and frogs. So when I saw the green cover of teeny tiny toady and the dense grasses and plants with a wee little teeny tiny toady in the center, I immediately feel in love with this picture book gem.

Now personally, I'm not a lover of anything frog-y, toady, or reptile-y (I'm quite certain that is simply not a word. But.... whatever). But I do love this little toady. You see, she is the wee little sister of all the brother toads. And of course wee little sister toads don't have ideas and opinions that matter. It is all about what the brothers say do. So we get a bit of a boost when teeny tiny toady (sister to the brothers) actually saves the day.

The author's use of lilting rhyme causes the reader to run and pause and leap and flutter across the words just as the illustrator has sprinkled the text appropriately to show actions and emotions.

The toads get all hands and thoughts on board as they devise scheme after scheme to execute the rescue. This shows to the young reader that we can all work together for solutions to problems. And then when the brothers fail and fall into the bucket themselves, the young reader can also see that sometimes the smallest can have the best idea on how to accomplish the task at hand.

Lots of great illustrations..... Emotions. Excitement. Anxiety. Action. Keika Yamaguchi has used watercolors to deftly bring the story to life. I especially love the scene where teeny tiny runs home with the despairing news. I also love the page where the leaves are skittering and fluttering in the wind across the page right along with the text. And then as teeny tiny feels the weight of having to decide how to rescue ALL OF THEM, there is a huge dark tornado cloud spinning above.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy from Sterling Children's Books to facilitate this review and giveaway. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review. Purchase it here ( )