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Children’s Toys: While there’s nothing new about kids loving music, science involving music and the brain proves that learning music early in life enhances brain development.

In the fantastical Freddie the Frog® 4-book series (hardcover with companion CD; $23.95 each) detailed below, preschool through elementary-age children learn musical concepts while they are duly immersed in Freddie’s colorfully illustrated adventures.

Now a nationally beloved fictional children’s book character, Freddie the Frog has become the mascot of music education for kids. Developed and authored by music teacher and speaker Sharon Burch, these books and companion CDs provide an accessible, entertaining and highly effective form of literature-based music education that kids absolutely love.

“Nothing compares to music in brain stimulation and development,” notes Burch. “The plethora of music and brain research findings are clear – music training profoundly affects brain development and music education benefits every child. The Freddie the Frog books were purposely developed to make learning music easy and fun!”

The Freddie the Frog 4-Book Series Includes:

Book/CD 1: Freddie the Frog and the Thump in the Night
This book introduces emergent readers to fundamental music concepts in a fun and exciting way. In it, Freddie is a frog who lives with his parents on Treble Clef Island. He is awakened in the middle of the night by a strange thumping noise. Frog-eating crocodiles, a swinging rope bridge, and a humongous gray monster are all part of Freddie’s adventure as he explores the island in search of the thump. Through Freddie’s adventures on the island, the reader is introduced to the treble clef staff as a map of where Freddie lives. Readers are captivated as the staff comes to life with the combination of illustrations and enclosed CD narration and music. A bonus of two sing-a-long songs, Froggie Went A-Courtin and Eli’s Hokey Pokey, sung by Freddie and his friend, Eli, are included on the CD.

Book/CD 2: Freddie the Frog and the Bass Clef Monster
In this adventure, Freddie awakens from hibernation to discover he is not on his beloved Treble Clef Island. Freddie’s search for home leads him through Frog Land, a strange place full of bizarre creatures all pointing him to the Bass Clef Monster who “loves frogs.” Discover the dancing bees, a moonlit cocoon garden, the fire-breathing dragon, and dare to meet the Bass Clef Monster. Building on the first book Freddie the Frog and the Thump in the Night that introduces readers to the treble clef, the Bass Clef Monster introduces nine notes of the bass clef simply by playing the CD and turning the pages. The lines and spaces represent each part of this eerie adventure and the sound effects and music bring it to life. Sing-a-long songs included too.

Book/CD 3: Freddie the Frog and The Mysterious Wahooooo
In this book kids discover the tempos, rhythms, and beats of Tempo Island with Freddie and his best friend Eli the Elephant. It guides kids in playing rhythm instruments to the rhythm and beat along with Eli and Freddie who find themselves stranded on a nearby island. They follow the mysterious “Wahooooos” through the jungle and try to communicate with the purple elephant in charge. Will he help them return home? Echo, chant, and play along with Freddie and Eli to learn the beats and rhythms of Tempo Island. The audio CD includes the dramatized story, sing-a-long songs, and jam tracks to play your own created rhythm. Ages 4-9.
Book/CD 4: Freddie the Frog® and the Secret of Crater Island
This book teaches six note names and completes the treble clef staff that the first book in the series, Freddie the Frog and the Thump in the Night, introduced. Freddie and Eli discover a buggy world under the azaleas. The two friends join the Blue Beetle Bugs in their quest to find the secret on Crater Island, (middle C)! The Secret of Crater Island includes peek-through pages and the enclosed audio CD includes the dramatized story, sing-a-long songs, and jam tracks to play along with the 12-Bar Blues. Ages 4-9.

Visit http://freddiethefrogbooks.com/ to learn more.

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***