The latest in the delightful Frank and Bert series sees the two friends setting off to sail their toy boat on the pond. But there’s a problem: Bert is scared of frogs. Sometimes they see Frog sitting, apparently innocently, on a lily pad; at other times they see Frog catching insects with his long sticky tongue; or Frog says ‘Ribbit’ really loudly and they run home. But today it’s hot and they really want to go and paddle in the little pond. They check carefully that there are no frogs and step into the lovely cool water to play with Bert’s boat when suddenly they spot a frog actually in the boat! They run and hide but Bert asks Frank to go and rescue his boat, at which point Frank has to confess that he, too, is afraid of frogs. Bert decides to be brave and ask the frog for his boat back when suddenly it jumps out at them with a mighty ‘Ribbit!’ which makes them laugh so much they get over their fear of frogs altogether. Much of the joy of the Frank and Bert books lies in Chris Naylor-Ballesteros’ depictions of the two friends, their facial expressions and gestures as well as the witty use of design to create knock-about humour. An extra benefit is the audio book which is available by scanning the code on the inside cover. Suitable for readers from three upwards, adults sharing the book will appreciate the final page as a reference to a well-known and scary film featuring a boat!
Eve Bearne
Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert is Scared of Frogs by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Nosy Crow
ISBN 9781805137986
£7.99
Published 2026
