It’s called ‘The Tadpole Promise’; I will try to summarise:

Tadpole and Caterpillar meet and fall in love. They promise to remain true to each other and never change (you can see where this is going can’t you!)

Over the course of the next few pages, the tadpole grows legs, then arms, then loses his tail.

The caterpillar, forsaken three times by the tadpole breaking his promise, trudges off heart broken. In the morning, she wakes as a beautiful butterfly and sets off to try and find her tadpole to forgive him.

Meanwhile, the tadpole, transmogrification complete, in a fit of hard wired/inherited behaviour, eats the butterfly. He then sits despondently wondering where his true love went.

Now I know it’s funny, but really, this is a book aimed at two year olds.

What kind of f***ed up individual thinks up a f***ed up story like that if only to try and subsequently **** up everyone else’s kids!

Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross that’s who!

What I take away from that is that despite the tadpole being unable to resist the inevitable change he is going through, the caterpillar still blames him and leaves him.

Tssk, women eh.

😀 Quite.

I think every child should learn the perils of interspecific sex, including in its juvenile underage form. And the likely cannibalistic conclusion which might result. It’s a tough world out there, you better prepare them the best you can.

All very funny. But really, just imagine you’d innocently taken that book out of the library (as we did) and started to read it to your two year old (as we did). The breaking promises and heart ache that can ensue is hard enough to explain, but still an important lesson.

But eating your true love!?>!>!>! ❓

How the hell do you even begin to explain that?

Awful….

Might I recommend:

a joyfull tale of a blindish rodent trying to discover who had shat on his head

You should have stuck to my brother’s book geetee 😉

Bunnyhop – so right there! Hope you’re well BTW. I’m up for Easter if you and Mr. Bunnyhop want to hop a bike ride?

Hansel & Gretel is going to be a bit of a shock….. 🙂

TBH geetee I agree with you. I’m still emotionally scarred from Bambi’s mother’s death. I blame my parents – fancy taking a toddler to see that ffs.

Actually thinking about it, Beatrix Potter really didn’t like kids much. Didn’t Peter Rabbit also get eaten?

Not sure. His dad definitely came to a sticky, if rather delicious end.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODq81_cDKI[/video]

Countingbook by woldspinner, on Flickr

😯

geetee1972 – Member

Bunnyhop – so right there! Hope you’re well BTW. I’m up for Easter if you and Mr. Bunnyhop want to hop a bike ride? That would be great 🙂

Is it just you or is the family in tow? That lad of yours will be eating worms, caterpillars, tadpoles etc himself before too long.

P.S. Don’t bring Dave, Jules will get jealous 😉

Might I recommend:

a joyfull tale of a blindish rodent trying to discover who had shat on his head

Spot on Boxelder! Definitely the current favourite in the nursery where I work 😆