From a squiggly ball of jelly to a cute leaf-hopper, watch Fredrick the Frog grow up in a lush green pond. Along the way, he makes friends and discovers new things he can do as his body changes. An artfully illustrated children's picture book celebrating God's perfect plan in nature's life cycle.
F.R.O.G. ... To Fully Rely on God.
What does that mean to you? For Fredrick, as changes come, we watch God's perfect plan for him unfold. His Mama and Papa do what comes naturally. Then, tiny eggs are laid, his little body is formed, and he matures into a fully grown frog.
Original text by Ida P. Leggett, who loved nature and children ... and celebrated God's beautiful green earth with all of His creatures -- great and small. Even frogs! She Fully Relied on God.
This book is dedicated to her memory.
"Why" THIS BOOK?
While illustrator Anne Gregory was a college art student in the late 1970's, her Auntie Ida gave her her a time-worn draft of Fredrick the Frog, handwritten with black marker on green construction paper. "Please illustrate this book one day," she said. "I trust that you'll know when the time is right." A fearless composer of poems and stories surrounding her faith in God, Ida passed away many years ago.
Fast-forward 30 years: the sudden passing of Anne's brother Ernie was her wake up call. Ernie had been a missionary and Fully Relied on God for direction, nourishment and fulfillment. His example of trusting God to lead him to "where he should be" gave Anne the courage to begin her own soul-searching journey. Anne's career had taken her away from creating art and left little room for appreciating the little things in life. She picked up her paintbrush and plunged back into the art world.
Seeking her "Why" for this new art adventure, Anne turned to a page in her past and remembered Fredrick the Frog ... and discovered the freedom to explore her creative possibilities. Creating these paintings as her first body of work and designing this fun little children's book became Anne's "Why" as she began to paint once again. All of the illustrations in this book were painted in oil on canvas. Painting frogs as subject matter seemed a good place to start: there was an abundance of frogs in the pond in front of her dad childhood home. The hand-lettered type was included as a nod to Anne's love of calligraphy, and reminiscent of her childhood days growing up in the Catskill Mountains in Roxbury New York, where she used to help her dad hand-paint signs.
"F.R.O.G. Fully Relying on God, I'll trust that He will direct me to what comes next!"
-- Anne Gregory
Commit your work to the Lord - and then your plans will succeed. Psalm 16:3
