Victor Villasenõr, illustrated by José Ramírez, Spanish translation by Edna Ochoa,
The Frog and His Friends Save Humanity / La rana y sus amigos salvan a la humanidad
Piñata Books, 2005.

Ages 4-8

There are many creation myths and many of these are available in the form of picture books for young children: however, this one, of Mexican origin and told to the author as a small boy by his father, could be unique in making its listener laugh.  If there is one thing almost guaranteed to have small children giggling, it is the word 'fart'.  Could this be the reason humanity was put on the earth?  Was this why Mother Nature sent something new to the other creatures 'this late in the Spring of Creation '?  'Never before had a creature come into the world that did not make sense.'  The animals work together and decide that indeed this tiny, fragile creature has been sent into the world to make them laugh and, on a more serious note, to unite them.  The animals decide that the baby is worth saving, and they work together to ensure its survival.  There are many layers of irony inherent in the story, therefore, which would become apparent to slightly older readers. 

In the meantime, once younger listeners have got over the delightful shock at the word 'fart' being sprung on them by whoever is reading the story, the reader will never have to say it again - a pause is all that's needed for the word to be uproariously supplied by a more than usually attentive listener!  The bright, highly-stylised illustrations are also captivating.  They are reminiscent of Aztec art and depict the animals both as symbols and within a landscape, which adds to the allegorical impression of the dawn of time.  The 'seed-baby', as my five-year-old so aptly described the image of the curled up baby with its eyes tightly closed, is first seen against the world, embraced by Mother Nature.  At the very end the baby has become a child wearing a T-shirt depicting the same 'seed-baby': and the story itself concludes with scope for discussion as to what indeed is the role of humanity on the earth.  This is a more complex book than it may initially appear and in the wake of the laughter, there is a challenge for the new generation to think about our relationship with the rest of creation.

Marjorie Coughlan
September 2006