FROG WENT A-COURTIN' by John Langstaff

Frog Went A-Courtin’ by John Langstaff and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky was an all time favorite with my children and by the reaction when I read (or sing) it to the children of today, it still is. This is quite a unique book which tells the old, old story of Froggy and his courtship with Miss Mousy. As the author of this work has stated in his forward, this song, or story, was first recorded in written form over 400 years ago in Scotland. It has gone thorough many changes since that time and has become a staple with American Folk Singers. I know I heard one of my favorite versions years ago done by Burl Ives. The Author has used a compilation of many of the versions of this song or tale, and there are many, and put them together to make this book.

The story starts with Frog putting on his shinny black boots, buckling on his pistol and sword, mounting his trusty steed and goes off courtin’ to the home of the ever beautiful Miss Mousy. The text begins,

“Frog went a-courtin’, he did ride, sword and pistol by his side….” The story ends with the lines,

“The Frog and the Mouse they went to France

And this is the end of my romance.

Frog’s bridle and saddle are laid on the shelf.

If you want anymore, you need sing it your self!”

Of course the middle part of the story goes though the entire courtship rite of the wedding, wedding feast and marriage of our unlikely couple, including getting permission from Miss Mouse’s Uncle Rat. The words of the entire version of this song are well written and the last page in the book gives you the music chords to use. The music is the mode used from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, which in my opinion, is the best. I must had heard at least fifteen versions of this song/story over the years and the author has done an excellent job of putting them all together in this one.

The art work in this book is the icing on the cake. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and extremely detailed. All of the critters, and there are many, are dressed in Victorian Garb or Early American all the way up through the mid 1950s. This makes for an interesting contrast. The colors are wonderfully blended and very eye catching. The painting simply pop out at you from the page and are busy enough to keep kids of all ages entranced.

I have found that this book can be very effectively either read or sung to a group of children with equal effect. It is meant for children from ages 4 through 8, but to be honest, I have used it in High School English Classes and it has been extremely effective, in particular with young men and women who are a bit better read, and more in tune with music history.

The little ones always get a kick out of this one and this is a work we need to keep in the public eye. One like this that is lost is a sad, sad thing. This one is certainly a keeper.

Considerations :::
Frog Went A-Courtin' has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 2.7 which means that the average 2nd Grader in the 7th month of school should be able to read it without getting frustrated by the vocabulary. It can be read aloud to any age.