As Kermit the Frog taught us—it’s not easy being green. With good reason, since you’ll likely be dissected in biology class or have your legs gobbled up by a hungry Frenchman. And yet, these slimy creatures have captured our imagination, appearing in everything from fairytales about frog princes to Beatrix Potter’sThe Tale of Jeremy Fisherand Arnold Lebel’sFrog and Toad. They even appear as a tasty chocolate snack in the Harry Potter series. Examining the significant role played by this slippery amphibian in art, literature, and popular culture, Charlotte Sleigh gives us an entertaining—and sometimes shocking—account of this both loved and misunderstood animal.
Weaving the natural history of the frog together with its mythology, this witty book answers questions like why frogs have been so prominent in science throughout the years and what place the frog holds in religion. Sleigh also explores the frog’s many faces—the devilish and comic, sophisticated and chauvinist, the revolting and delicious. Featuring many images of frogs from nature and culture,Frog—the fiftieth entry into the Animal series—will draw pet owners, frog-leg devourers, and seekers of princes alike.
Charlotte Sleighis a senior lecturer in the history of science at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. She is the author ofAnt, also published by Reaktion books.
Introduction
1. Just a Kiss
2. Warts and All
3. Them, Us and Frogs
4. Under the Knife
5. Evolution on Fast-forward
6. Of Frogs and Fruitfulness
7. Jumped Up
Timeline
References
Select Bibliography
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
"Sleigh does a great job of condensing the extensive cultural and scientific literature on frogs into a stream of absorbing facts and stories through which the reader can easill##
![Frog [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/4/8/3/2_5362083.jpg "Frog [Paperback]")