Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 15 Mar 2026

The Wonderful Wide-Mouthed Frog

I recently shared one of my all-time favourite pop-up books with a large group of Nursery and Reception age children at Northleigh CE Primary Academy in Malvern.

I was, once again, thrilled to see their little faces rapt with concentration and anticipation as I turned the pages of The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Falkner, illustrated by Jonathan Lambert. This very clever creature who loves eating flies is keen to find out the food preferences of some other animals.

When he meets a scary looking crocodile, he needs to think quickly because it seems that his favourite meal is wide-mouthed frogs! He tricks him by making his mouth appear to be very small and then makes his escape by quickly jumping into a pond with a resounding splash.

Children, parents and teachers will be very impressed with the drawings featured below. Please take time to scroll through and appreciate how each child has captured his special character in very different ways.  

Karen Argent

March 2026