Beautiful illustrations, a familiar story and a great lesson all make this book a fabulous addition to any library.
Feature image credit: Magabala Books
Many of us will have grown up knowing the story of Tiddalik the giant greedy frog who drank all the water in the world, which caused a devastating drought. This Indigenous Dreaming story was first published in 1980. Gregg Dreise has now brought us the same story in a beautiful updated book full of colourful illustrations.
Dreise’s version is truer to the original Dreaming story. He has changed the name of the frog from Tiddalik to Tjidalih, which is closer to the way it is pronounced (information at the back of the book will help adults to pronounce it correctly). Greedy Frog is easy to understand, with a simple lesson at the end … don’t be greedy! With a front cover showing a very large green frog, the illustrations inside perfectly demonstrate what is happening in the text. Dreise’s signature circles on the land and in the sky set the story firmly in Australia. The expressions on the faces of the animals and the look on Tjidalih’s face as he grows all add to the storyline.
The title page sets up the story as we see the back of a giant frog spewing out rivers of water. It is nice that the title of the book is also written on the frog’s head.
Greedy Frog is the fifth book in the Scales and Tails series by Dreise and they just keep getting better. Dreise is a proud descendant of the Goomelroi/Kamileroi and Euahlayi people of south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales. Each of his stories have a moral. At the end of the book, we can discover a bit about the Tjidalih Frog’s habitat and how they survive. We find out they are also called water holding frogs, and they live in the ground under the water holes during times of drought. The children used to try and catch them to drain their pouches to get a clean drink during droughts.
There are also mini science lessons throughout the story: evaporation, climate, and creatures that rely on water both to drink and live in. Teachers who are familiar with the work of Dreise will be aware that there are support materials which are linked to the Australian curriculum.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Magabala Books
Released: May 2026
RRP: $27.99
