Robbit the Job-Hopping Frog

By Michael Gerard Bauer & Katrin Dreiling

Reviewed by Margarite Igras

Australian multiple-award winning author Michael Gerard Bauer is well known for his many books aimed at both children and young adults.  Titles such as The Running Man (CBCA 2005 Book of the Year for Older Readers, Don’t Call Me Ishmael CBCA 2007 Junior Judges Award) and Rodney Loses it (CBCA 2018 Book of the Year, Early Childhood), demonstrate the range of his varied readership appeal, with several of his books translated into different languages and used as class texts in Australian schools.

His latest book, Robbit the Job-Hopping Frog is a fun and entertaining book aimed at the 4- to 6-year-old. It has interesting text and a message You never know what you can do till you try.  Katrin Dreiling’s quirky illustrations add charm to the story and speaks to the younger reader. She claims that My pictures are as if they were painted by children.

Robbit the frog wants to find a job. He explores the job ads listed on the Town Hall bulletin board and discovers that a Bank Teller is not the kind of bank he is familiar with, and being a Home Cook is a disaster as the people are not expecting earthworms and insects in crushed blowfly paste.  After several failed attempts, he finally discovers his forte as an actor playing the role of a hero who shows you can win, if you keep your chin up and you never give in.

The rhyming text is a fun read with emphasised capitalised words and the repetitive lines Such is life. Never mind. Back to the board! See what else I can find!  There are homonyms to explore (bank and bouncer) and unravelling the multiple meanings of job-hopping. Katrin’s colourful childlike illustrations, are full of details to discover and discuss, and speaks to the younger reader. The book is positive, with some fun and challenging vocabulary that will engage the younger reader.

Scholastic Australia 

Michael Gerard Bauer

Katrin Dreiling