The Fate of the Frog book tour

Seuss, Sustainability, and The Fate of the Frog:

Durham Author's Third Children’s Book Supports K-2 Curricula

Durham author Melissa Rooney’s third children’s book, The Fate of the Frog, was released this month with a ‘Books Tour' in Ohio, the home state of illustrator Stacy Fabbre. The Seuss-inspired picture book tells an engaging story, using anapestic tetrameter and playful watercolor illustrations to address the importance of water resources as well as other K-3 curricula topics. Rooney, who is a Durham Arts Council CAPS artist and Associate Supervisor for Durham’s Soil and Water Conservation District, will host two free “hands-on” book readings at The Regulator Bookshop at 11AM and 1PM  *this* Saturday, June 30th, including a Family Q&A/discussion, reading of The Fate of the Frog, and make-and-take plush tadpole craft using 100% recycled materials.

Rooney, who lived in South Durham for 15 years before moving to the Watts Hospital Hillandale neighborhood in 2017, is a Ph.D. Chemist, scientific editor, and author of the Eddie the Electron children’s book series (Amberjack Publishing). She has conducted hands-on children’s events at The Science Museum of Western Virginia, The Virginia Museum of Natural Sciences, The Virginia Transportation Museum, The Danville Science Center, The UNC Science Expo, and numerous public schools and libraries across NC and VA. She believes that “the sooner we expose our children to ‘complicated’ scientific ideas, the less intimidated they will be by such subject matter in the future. Whether or not they understand everything is beside the point. What’s important is whether or not they are interested.”

It’s more important than ever to support scientific literacy and objectivity in the education of our youth and to introduce them to, engage them in, and prevent them from losing the Magic and Creativity that is Nature and Science. In The Fate of the Frog, Rooney accomplishes all these. Bring your kids to meet her at the Regulator on June 30th! More info at: www.melissarooneywriting.com; https://www.facebook.com/TheFateOfTheFrog/ and https://www.facebook.com/melissarooneywriting/.

Reviews of The Fate of the Frog (available for purchase here):

"The Fate of the Frog is an entertaining and meaningful tale of the plight of a frog whose water puddle dries up during a summer drought.  The story is told from the perspective of an eight-year-old boy who follows the frog and the status of its puddle through a rainy spring, when the puddle is regularly replenished and hot dry summer during which the puddle eventually dries up.  The story engaged each of my three preschool and kindergarten age children from beginning to end.  On the surface, the colorful illustrations and lyrical writing captured everyone’s attention and made for an enjoyable story time for the entire family.  On a deeper level the frog’s struggle produced an age appropriate segue to a discussion of the importance of water and the issue of water conservation." 

~ Erica DeShong, Durham Parent (3-5yos) and SoDu Parents Posse member

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"The Fate of the Frog is a wonderful picture book that shows a frog's struggle to survive in his puddle.  As a kindergarten teacher, it was magnificent to find a developmentally appropriate book about a life cycle as well as the ability to integrate other key, common core aligned science units into a fun and relatable read aloud.  The illustrations brought the rhyming versus alive.  The realistic and true to life experiences of the frog and young boy allowed the students to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections. After reading the book to my class, here are some excerpts of the conversation: "It was fun because the frog kept on trying!" "It was fun and amusing." "It was a nice story, can we read it again?!" Post read aloud, the students were observed to recreate various scenes from the book during free, unstructured play time in collaboration with water cycle knowledge.  The Fate of the Frog quickly became a must read in my classroom!" 

~ Emily Hayes, Durham Kindergarten teacher, The Lerner School and SoDu Parents Posse member

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"As a certified K-5 teacher this is truly a remarkable book your school library or home should have. It's engaging, and the writer as well as the illustrator have mastered the gift of bringing it to the child's level of understanding. A joyous read to students! (And adults too.)" 

~Anonymous Amazon Reviewer of The Fate of A Frog.