City Dog, Country Frog (Mo Willems)

Willems, Mo. City Dog, Country Frog. Ill. by Jon Muth. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2010. ISBN 1423103009

Plot Summary
The poignant story by Willems follows a dog through a memorable year in which he discovers the joy of friendship and the sorrow of loss. Dog finds a close friend in a frog during spring. Through summer they continue to grow in friendship. As fall comes and the easiness of summer fades, frog begins to show his age and so the pair of friends remember their time together. With winter comes the sad loss of frog. The book concludes with spring’s reemergence and a reminder that life is an ongoing cycle.

Critical Analysis
Few words are printed on each page, and yet Mo Willems and illustrator Jon J. Muth have accomplished creating an epic story of friendship. The free spirited dog from the city and kind frog from the country make an odd but endearing couple. The characters speak for themselves during portions of the book, providing insight into their friendship, while the narrator quietly gives a detached account of the friendship. This understated style of writing allows readers of all ages to put their life knowledge and experiences into the story and take out of it what they will.

Vibrant, colorful water colors give life to and carefully expresses both of the main characters’ personalities. The vivid illustrations also provide the perfect back drop to the plot’s changing seasons in the countryside.

Readers of all ages, young and old, will find themselves making connections with the "city" dog and "country" frog, and implicitly understanding their friendship. Loss and renewal is a universal theme, lovingly depicted in this carefully crafted story.

Awards and Review Excerpts
School Library Journal- “Spare, poignant, and ultimately upbeat”
Booklist starred review- “Adults and children will each take away something”

Connections
*This book is great lead in to discussions on seasons and loss/grief.
*After reading this book, make a collage to represent each of the four seasons. Suggested readings to accompany a discussion of the seasons include the Celebrate the Season book collection by Linda Glaser.

Glaser, Linda. It's Fall. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2001. ISBN 0761313427
Glaser, Linda. It's Spring. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2002. ISBN 0761313451
Glaser, Linda. It's Summer. Brookfield Conn: Millbrook Press, 2003. ISBN 076131735X
Glaser, Linda. It's Winter. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press, 2002. ISBN 0761316809

*Listed below are other books that can be combined with City Dog, Country Frog to address and open discussions of different types of loss experienced by children.

Carlstrom, Nancy. I'm Not Moving, Mama. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1999. ISBN 0689828810
Demas, Corinne. Saying Goodbye to Lulu. Boston New York: Little, Brown, 2004. ISBN 031604749X
Varley, Susan. Badger's Parting Gifts. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1984. ISBN 0688115187
Viorst, Judith. Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. New York, NY:     Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998. ISBN 0689820895
Viorst, Judith. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. New York: Aladdin Books, 1988. ISBN 0689712030