We enjoyed Wanda's Freckles by Barbara Azore, and now this curious little girl starts a new adventure after coming upon a puddle filled with tadpoles. She takes some of the tadpoles to school and the teacher puts them in an aquarium. Wanda is quite pleased when she is designated as "tadpole monitor." Her task is to keep her classmates in order as they crowd around the aquarium so they can see the magic moment when the tadpoles turn into froglets.
The teacher then tells Wanda that she is taking the frogs to the creek where they will have happy lives. Unable to let go of her attachment to these creatures, Wanda convinces the teacher to let her take some home. Things do not work out well for the visiting frogs, and her father comes up with a solution that makes good sense.
The lesson of this satisfying story for children ages 4 and up is that we must let go of our attachments — often for the good of others and to avoid disappointments ourselves.
