Title: City Dog, Country Frog
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Jon J Muth
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
First Edition: June 8, 2010
This bestseller children's storybook stars one city dog, and one country frog. The story begins with a dog who is referred to as City Dog, a dog from the city, that takes a visit to the countryside. The dog meets an unlikely friend, Country Frog. Country Frog seems easy going, and quickly accepts City Dog as a friend. Even though City Dog and Country Frog are from different places both come to enjoy learning to play each other's games over the City Dog's seasonal visits to the countryside.
After City Dog and Country Frog become good friends from all the dog and frog games they played through the spring and summer, Country Frog is shown to have grown tired by the fall. City Dog asks to play a dog or frog game, but Country Frog suggest they play "remember-ing games" to recount all of the fun that they had playing together in the past season. When City Dog returns for his country visit in the winter, he is unable to find Country Frog. Instead of dog and frog games or reminiscence of, Jon Muth illustrates the City Dog's contemplation of Country Frog's whereabouts with landscape scenes of blue snow carpeted atop the countryside. When spring arrives once again the City Dog takes his country visit. While missing his Country Frog friend, City Dog makes a new friend, Country Chipmunk in the manner that only the spirit of his former friend can convey, with a big fat easy frog smile.
Jon Muth sets his story in the serene rolling meadows of the countryside. Muth's watercolor illustrations capture the nature of seasons . The grass is green, the trees are tall and abundant, the sky is blue, the creek water splashes and reflects. Everybody can relate to the rotation of the setting, through the four seasons - summer, spring, fall, winter ... and the final reemergence of spring, as well as the implications of the cycle of life through the four seasons - of birth of a friendship, of a new life, through the growth and happiness, through times of slowing down and reflection, and inevitably, the winter of life. Still inevitably, spring emerges once again, giving children a happy ending to the story.
The story's theme revolved around the cycle of life, the cycle of nature, and the cycle of friendship. Indeed, even after the disappearance of the frog in winter, the beautiful character of the frog shone through with the dog's newly developed sense of calm - as can be seen through Jon Muth's illustration of the dog's expansive frog-like smile in the end, when he is now so easy to befriend just anybody. "The understated episodes acknowledge the transitory nature of the seasons and of life itself" (Publishers Weekly, May 24, 2010) Additionally, the meaning of each season is understated, and most pages including delicate assonance and alliteration: "City Dog didn't stop/ to admire the green, green grass;/ he ran straight for/ Country Frog's rock".
Jon Muth's illustrations accompany the story with harmony. The soft watercolors perfectly capture the mood of each season, and create a soft glow to the story. In spring the green is minty and bright, the reflections of the water are clear, the flowers are soft pink dots. Summer's watercolors are less airy, a more dense green, and the frog sat on a giant grey and brown rock when finally he was tired out from the dog games. The beauty of Muth's watercolors become more profound in fall, as the oranges and browns sweep the country view, the reflection on the water is also orange, and blue, and the dog and frog have quiet reflection time. When the dog comes back to the countryside in winter, the snow is white, grey, blue, and puffy, and the skies are pink and yellow. As the dog looks and looks for the frog, Muth's watercolors become more melancholy - vast expanses of purple snow sweep across the pages, sans text, sans frog; quite sad. Spring again, and the bright pink and green colors of course have emerged, taking us full course through nature's story.
After City Dog and Country Frog become good friends from all the dog and frog games they played through the spring and summer, Country Frog is shown to have grown tired by the fall. City Dog asks to play a dog or frog game, but Country Frog suggest they play "remember-ing games" to recount all of the fun that they had playing together in the past season. When City Dog returns for his country visit in the winter, he is unable to find Country Frog. Instead of dog and frog games or reminiscence of, Jon Muth illustrates the City Dog's contemplation of Country Frog's whereabouts with landscape scenes of blue snow carpeted atop the countryside. When spring arrives once again the City Dog takes his country visit. While missing his Country Frog friend, City Dog makes a new friend, Country Chipmunk in the manner that only the spirit of his former friend can convey, with a big fat easy frog smile.
Jon Muth sets his story in the serene rolling meadows of the countryside. Muth's watercolor illustrations capture the nature of seasons . The grass is green, the trees are tall and abundant, the sky is blue, the creek water splashes and reflects. Everybody can relate to the rotation of the setting, through the four seasons - summer, spring, fall, winter ... and the final reemergence of spring, as well as the implications of the cycle of life through the four seasons - of birth of a friendship, of a new life, through the growth and happiness, through times of slowing down and reflection, and inevitably, the winter of life. Still inevitably, spring emerges once again, giving children a happy ending to the story.
The story's theme revolved around the cycle of life, the cycle of nature, and the cycle of friendship. Indeed, even after the disappearance of the frog in winter, the beautiful character of the frog shone through with the dog's newly developed sense of calm - as can be seen through Jon Muth's illustration of the dog's expansive frog-like smile in the end, when he is now so easy to befriend just anybody. "The understated episodes acknowledge the transitory nature of the seasons and of life itself" (Publishers Weekly, May 24, 2010) Additionally, the meaning of each season is understated, and most pages including delicate assonance and alliteration: "City Dog didn't stop/ to admire the green, green grass;/ he ran straight for/ Country Frog's rock".
Jon Muth's illustrations accompany the story with harmony. The soft watercolors perfectly capture the mood of each season, and create a soft glow to the story. In spring the green is minty and bright, the reflections of the water are clear, the flowers are soft pink dots. Summer's watercolors are less airy, a more dense green, and the frog sat on a giant grey and brown rock when finally he was tired out from the dog games. The beauty of Muth's watercolors become more profound in fall, as the oranges and browns sweep the country view, the reflection on the water is also orange, and blue, and the dog and frog have quiet reflection time. When the dog comes back to the countryside in winter, the snow is white, grey, blue, and puffy, and the skies are pink and yellow. As the dog looks and looks for the frog, Muth's watercolors become more melancholy - vast expanses of purple snow sweep across the pages, sans text, sans frog; quite sad. Spring again, and the bright pink and green colors of course have emerged, taking us full course through nature's story.
Because this story flows through the natural seasons of the year, expansion activities can be easily created using this nature/seasons theme. Younger audience members can practice sorting. In this activity, a table is places with many seasonal objects - sunglasses, flip-flops, pumpkin, coat, scarf, etc. Children can choose one object and place it within the correct season- four corners of the room can be labeled spring, summer, winter, fall. ("City Dog, Country Frog: RIF Extension Activities for Educators" 2012). Another activity that children can do as an extension of this story is to enhance their science learning by exploring other natural aspects of the four seasons, and can create crafts of the four seasons.
City Dog, Country Frog won the 2010 Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books as well as the 2011 American Library Association Notable Books for Children.
City Dog, Country Frog won the 2010 Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books as well as the 2011 American Library Association Notable Books for Children.
References:
Publishers Weekly, "City Dog, Country Frog." Last modified May 24, 2010. Accessed September 8, 2013. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4231-0300-4.
Reading is Fundamental, "City Dog, Country Frog: RIF Extension Activities for Educators" Last modified 2012. Accessed September 8, 2013. http://www.rif.org/documents/us/City-Dog-Country-Frog_RIF-Extension-Activities-for-Educators.pdf.
Willems, Mo. City Dog, Country Frog. Ill. by Jon J Muth. New York, NY: Hyperion Press , 2010. ISBN 1-4231-0300-9
Picture Source:
http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/2011/10/av-club-on-city-dog-country-frog.html
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