View source for Odd Job Frog by Colleen Jacey and Zed Jacey

{{infobox2
|title=Odd Job Frog
|author=Colleen Jacey and Zed Jacey
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A delightful and unusual story about a frog who works to earn enough money to enjoy a trip to London.  The illustrations are gorgeous and the book would make an excellent souvenir.  It's gently educational too.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Matador
|date=June 2015
|isbn=978-1784622725
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=1784622729
|aznus=1784622729
|cover=1784622729
}}

''I'm bored'', said Frog.  ''Bored, bored, '''BORED.''' ''

And you can see he is: chin on elbow, elbow on knee and, dare I say, a slightly ''sulky'' expression on his face.  He's not happy.  Mouse has the right of it, with his hammock slung in the cornfield, but Frog has made up his mind.  He's off to the city which is full of exciting things.  And it is.  Everywhere he looks there are wonderful things to do, but there's only one snag.  They all cost money.  And as he hasn't got any he's going to have to get a job.

Now getting a job isn't easy for anyone and even the man at the Job Centre had to admit that they don't normally find jobs for frogs, but he suggested the zoo.  The head zoo keeper was sceptical, but then he realised that there was something Frog could do and set him to clean the animals' teeth, with a toothbrush and frog was really enjoying himself until he met the crocodile and decided that perhaps the job was a little too dangerous.

After that there was cleaning the crown jewels and, well,  lots of other jobs, but something always went wrong until the day that he found something which was absolutely perfect for him.  I'm not going to tell you what it was - you'll have to read the book and find out yourself - but it was lovely to see Frog and Mouse having a wonderful time seeing all the tourist attractions in the city courtesy of Frog's earnings.

It's a lovely story and a rather unusual one, approaching, as it does, the world of work, but it's good to see the attitude that pleasures have to be worked for and enjoyment earned rather than expecting someone else to provide them.  I was impressed too by the way that Frog persisted even when the first jobs didn't work out - until the day when he (accidentally) found something that suited him perfectly.

Zed Jacey's story is good and children will love it, but Colleen Jacey's illustrations are brilliant.  The watercolours of London are superb - if you were looking for a souvenir of a visit to the city which was a little out of the normal run then this would be perfect.  All the major tourist attractions are there, but there's plenty to engage children too: I loved the pictures of the animals who had had their teeth cleaned (have a look at the expression on the elephant's face - it's wonderful) and Frog trying to wear a policeman's helmet.

The book's gently educational and will appeal to quite a wide age range.  Younger children will enjoy having the story read to them and emerging readers will benefit from the very clear font and plenty of clues in the illustrations for the odd word which might prove a little elusive.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

Children who enjoy this book will also enjoy [[The Queen's Hat by Steve Antony]].

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[[Category:Colleen Jacey]]
[[Category:Zed Jacey]]