Globally, amphibians are the most endangered vertebrates.

We can help them.

MEGAN HOLLINGSWORTH

illustrated by

BONNIE GORDON-LUCAS

“This imaginative story of a treefrog from Panama brings to light the desperate plight of frogs and salamanders around the globe. In Frog Song, Megan Hollingsworth skillfully uses poetry and prose to highlight this important conservation issue for children and adults alike.”

—Douglas W. Tallamy ∣ author of Nature’s Best Hope and co-founder of Homegrown National Park

“We know how to do conservation, we just need to do more of it.”

- Jon Paul Rodríguez ∣ Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission—GAA2

Written by Megan Hollingsworth with illustrations by Bonnie Gordon-Lucas, Frog Song is an educational book for readers ages 9 and up that features an interspecies love poem inspired by the life of Toughie, who was the last known living Rabbs’ fringe-limbed treefrog when he died at Atlanta Botanical Garden on September 26, 2016. Toughie was one in a collection of Panamanian amphibians rescued in 2005 from a lethal chytrid fungus spreading from Costa Rica into Panama.

Emphasizing how we can help amphibians, other wildlife, and fellow humans survive and thrive, Frog Song includes Toughie’s true story, part of a big death—the sixth mass extinction—that holds potential for as big a birth. Frog Song also includes illustration activities, conservation homework suggestions, and supporting content for further learning and research. Frog Song closes with a section on big picture continuation leading from the illustrated poem.

The limited first edition sewn hardcover of Frog Song is offered online and through independent bookstores at the cost of printing responsibly with Calverts North Star Press, a worker-owned cooperative based in Bethnal Green, east London.

More from Frog Song readers:

“Beautifully written and illustrated, Frog Song will appeal to all ages of nature lovers and shows us how we can help sustain a world that protects frogs and other amphibians.” —Cindy Christin ∣ retired children's librarian

“WOW! Frog Song is an incredible unique work with a rich appreciation of life and our roles and responsibilities in this big, beautiful world. Megan Hollingsworth offers a realistic, scientific look at species extinction combined with a big (emotional) picture overview and the possibility of hope through action for both children and adults. I really love this book and am struck most by the presentation of extinction through the illustrated story poem of Toughie and a girl. This moving story followed by information on the causes of extinction and ways to help threatened species survive makes Frog Song a solid foundation and catalyst for an individual or group study of multiple subjects from amphibians to extinction to death and loss. Importantly, Frog Song’s content can move study on to creating action plans. Action is where hope grows.” —Julie Hancock ∣ retired elementary and middle school science teacher

"Above all, Spirit and Love show through Frog Song. The book expresses compassion, bonding, and a special relationship between a frog and a girl. My experience is that even animals as small as tadpoles or froglets want to live—that all Life wants to grow and expand. Animals, especially amphibians and other non-mammals, can be seen as non-feeling or non-caring and scientists often teach this explicitly. So, I love to see the marriage of science and art, spirituality and reason, and respect for all Life in Frog Song. All of the students who reviewed this book (4th, 7th, and 8th grade classes) absolutely loved the artwork and the story poem. Frog Song offers the opportunity for discussions about life, death, and life continuing in different forms after death. Some students shared stories of family members, including animals, who had passed on. The expanded glossary aided our discussions of conservation, mass extinction, and other content addressed in the poem and Toughie’s true story. The extra resources are wonderful for extended learning. Frog Song’s content could be a unit of study for later elementary and middle school students." —Joanna Gerber ∣ elementary science & pk-8 garden teacher, The Friends School of Atlanta

“Frog Song is great. Megan Hollingsworth has done an amazing job with this book. The inclusion of the supplementary material makes it a cool immersion into several matters influencing the story poem. I'm excited to share Frog Song with my two nephews who love animals and especially frogs. The older one, who is seven years old, has been trying to make sense of death lately, so it's perfect.” —Colin Ruggiero, M.F.A. ∣ conservation filmmaker and photographer

"Although death and extinction are difficult to think about, the themes raised in Frog Song have been valuable for our children's development. Our eight-year-old said he learned things he didn't know and enjoyed the illustrations. Our twelve-year-old said it's good that Megan Hollingsworth wrote a book like this." —Donald Edward Winslow, Ph.D. ∣ ecologist and assistant professor—Indiana Academy

“I truly love this book! I’ve never seen anything like Frog Song, and I’ve read a lot of books. My eight-year-old accessed the poetry by herself and she loved the illustrations and interactive part. She integrated her prior knowledge about endangered species and extinction as we read and discussed the other sections together. In the classroom, Frog Song’s section on death would be a powerful discussion or written response tool, and the expanded glossary and references would support extended learning.” —Melanie Bergeson ∣ seventh grade social studies and English language arts teacher

“Frog Song is a treasure! Children will benefit from learning more about endangered animals and how to help save them. Importantly, the book ends with a beautiful perspective on death, helping children cope with their greater awareness of loss of life and species, as well as with death in general. Frog Song is engagingly written and exquisitely illustrated.” —Donna Eder ∣ author of Life Lessons through Storytelling: Children's Exploration of Ethics

© 2024 Megan Hollingsworth | All Rights Reserved