The Mysterious Tadpole – by Steven Kellogg - Read Aloud - Bedtime Story

Louis has an Uncle in Scotland who lives on the lake called Loch Ness. He captures a small tadpole in a jar and gives it to his nephew in America as a birthday present. Unfortunately, it’s not a tadpole. Tadpole’s grow up to be frogs, but this tadpole grows up to be something else. At first, he lives in the kitchen sink, but then in the tub, then he has to be moved to the high school pool. What will they do when he runs out of room there?

This story is a fun imaginative look at what it’s like to own a pet and how many problems ownership can bring into your life. It’s good for children to learn to use their imaginations to think ahead. I grew up loving animals. We visited the pet store often. If I really really wanted to get something like a bird or gerbils, or fish, Mom would make you read all the books you could find about it first to see if you still thought you’d like that type of animal as a pet. Then, if you did, you’d have to save up your money and prepare by buying the right cage or habitat and all the food and equipment first. Once you had all of that in place, then it was time to go and choose your new pet and bring it home. Reading and imagining were important tools she was teaching us to help us prepare for adulthood. There were a few times like when I wanted a Chinchilla, that I later decided not to get one after I’d built the cage and everything. So this is a fun book that can spark some conversations with your children about pet ownership before you get into a situation. It’s good to decide beforehand whether or not this is a pathway that will fit in your life or not.