March 2021 Picture Book Selection | First Editions Club

New York, NY: Holiday House | Penguin Random House (pub: February 2, 2021)

First Edition. Signed by both authors and illustrator.

A new in dust jacket.

When a curiously croaking stranger comes knocking at the door, Aunt Josephine launches into a rambling tale about her lifelong pursuit of a rare giant frog.

Eccentric Aunt Josephine poignantly ignores a stranger knocking at her door as she tells her niece Sadie the story of her time in the jungles of Peru, cataloguing amphibians for the scientific team of Admiral Rodriguez. When the admiral’s son was suddenly swallowed by a giant frog, Aunt Josephine gave chase in a journey which took her around the world.

In the tradition of Philip Stead and Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell’s previous collaborations Special Delivery and The Only Fish in the Sea, this is a story full of rambunctious fun and sensationally appealing artwork.

Philip C. Stead is the author of the Caldecott Medal winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by his wife, Erin E. Stead. Their collaboration, Music for Mister Moon, won the Great Lakes Great Reads Award. Philip has written and illustrated many picture books including Hello, My Name is Ruby, Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, A Home for Bird, All the Animals where I Live, and Vernon is on His Way. He also illustrated Charlotte Zolotow’s In My Garden for Holiday House. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Matthew Cordell is the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of Wolf in the Snow and Hello Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, recipient of four starred reviews, and the illustrator of numerous highly acclaimed children’s books including Philip C. Stead’s books The Only Fish in the Sea and Special Delivery, which was a Washington Post Best Book. He wrote and illustrated Another Brother, Wish, and Hello! Hello!, a New York Times Notable Children’s Book. Matthew lives near Chicago with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children.