Tadpoles by Betsy James

32 p., Dutton, 1999. Molly resents her baby brother, Davey, because Ma carries him to and she has to walk. One day, Molly discovers frog eggs at the pond. With Ma's encouragement, she brings them home to watch them grow, promising to return them to the pond when they become frogs. Ma explains that Molly and Davey began as dots, much like the ones inside the frogs' eggs' jelly. Molly watches the eggs grow into tadpoles, and then into frogs. She helps Davey watch the eggs develop, and he grows, too. Molly is sad when it's time to let the frogs go. At the same moment, Davey learns to walk - and walks to Molly. Now that Davey can walk, Ma lets the children take turns being carried. An afterword tells how to raise frog eggs. Children will see that some of the ways that babies monopolize their parents are temporary, and that helping a baby grow can lead to a special relationship with the baby. Ages 4-8

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