The ever-talented Mo Willems wrote City Dog, Country Frog (Hyperion, 2010), but did not illustrate it himself; the also talented John J. Muth added his soft illustration style to this story. In this book, a dog from the city forms an unlikely partnership with a country frog. They play all spring and summer and remember during the fall. But in the winter, the frog is not there.
Yet, all ends well, for in the spring, once again, the city dog finds a friend. It is a precious story for an adult, like me, who has lost friends in the past, either through moving or death. Although my son may or may not have picked up on the death of the frog, he did learn that we can always find friends if our other friends aren’t there. We just have to be a friend with them.
The artwork is gorgeous, as you can tell from the cover. I seriously could frame the “Winter” image of the dog on my wall, and I’m not even a dog person! The sweet story and the beautiful artwork make City Dog, Country Frog a definite winner.
