Tuesday

April 3, 1995
Leapin' lizards--er, frogs! The many fans of Wiesner's 1992 Caldecott Medal-winning Tuesday will be hoppy to learn that one of its acrobatic amphibian actors has landed in his very own book-and-toy package. The personable critter rests (courtesy of Velcro) on fabric lily pad, accompanied by a paperback edition of the book (Clarion, $22, ages 5-up ISBN 0-395-73511-4 May).

April 22, 1991
In this nearly wordless picture book, Wiesner ( Hurricane ; Free Fall ) again takes readers on an imaginative voyage, using everyday reality merely as a touchstone. Here, a squadron of frogs soars through the night air one Tuesday, squatting upon lilypads that they use as flying carpets. Apparently intending no harm, these mysterious visitors to a suburban development leave a minimum of disruption as evidence of their eerie flight: a few startled eyewitnesses, some scattered lilypads and a spooked dog. Wiesner's visuals are stunning: slightly surrealistic, imbued with mood and mystery, and executed with a seemingly flawless command of palette and perspective. But, perhaps because this fantasy never coalesces around a human figure, it is less accessible and less resonant than his tales that center on a child protagonist. Ages 5-up.

May 1, 1991
K-Gr 4- As the full moon rises over a peaceful marsh, so do frogs on their lily pads-levitating straight up into the air and sailing off, with surpris with some laundry, hovering briefly before a TV left on. A dog chases one lone low-coasting frog, but is summarily routed by a concerted amphibious armada. Suddenly the rays of the rising sun dispel the magic; the frogs fall to ed but gratified expressions. Fish stick their heads out of the water to watch; a turtle gapes goggle-eyed. The phalanx of froggies glides over houses in a sleeping village, interrupting the one witness's midnight snack, tanglingthe ground and hop back to their marsh, leaving police puzzling over the lily pads on Main Street. In the final pages, the sun sets on the following Tuesday-and the air fills with ascending pigs! Dominated by rich blues and greens, and fully exploiting its varied perspectives, this book treats its readers to the pleasures of airborne adventure. It may not be immortal, but kids will love its lighthearted, meticulously imagined, fun-without-a-moral fantasy. Tuesday is bound to take off. -Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle

August 18, 1997
The nearly wordless Caldecott-winning book follows a squadron of frogs as they fly through the night on lilypads; PW called the visuals "stunning: slightly surrealistic, imbued with mood and mystery." Ages 5-8.

January 1, 1991
A surreal, almost wordless picture book shows the mysterious levitation of lily pads and frogs from a pond one Tuesday at dusk. The frogs soar around town until they fall to the ground at sunrise. Large, detailed watercolors use dramatic points of view and lighting effects and often show a humorous range of expressions. There is a forecast of further surprises to come on following Tuesdays.

(Copyright 1991 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)