The Mysterious Tadpole
Steven Kellogg's award-winning picture bookThe Mysterious  Tadpole, first published in 1977, is back with wonderful new illustrations  and additional "nuances of character, sequence, and plot" in this fabulous  25th-anniversary edition. The story begins when Uncle McAllister brings a "wee  bit of Scotland"--a tadpole to be precise--to Louis for his birthday. Delighted,  Louis names him Alphonse and brings him to school for show-and-tell. A diet of  cheeseburgers allows the creature to grow by leaps and bounds, and he soon  outgrows his jar, the kitchen sink, and the bathtub. Finally, when the high  school swim team learns of Alphonse's presence in their pool the hard way, Uncle  McAllister gets a call: "'Oh, the wee tadpole?' he said. 'Why, he came from the  lake nearby. It's the one folks call Loch Ness.'" Louis's ingenuity (he takes on  a paper route to pay for his pet's burgers, and that of his friend the librarian  (she thinks they can use the aquatic Alphonse to find pirate treasure and use  the money to build him his own swimming pool) are heartwarming and hilarious.  Children who are attached to a pet will completely relate to Louis's devotion to  his unusual new friend. Kellogg's luminous illustrations of the ever-expanding  monster and bewildered townspeople are expressive, often hysterical, and full of  tiny details that demand many rereadings. A treat! (Ages 4 to 8)--Karin  Snelson--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.