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  • Published: 15 April 2017
  • ISBN: 9781580897389
  • Imprint: Charlesbridge Children
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 48
  • RRP: $45.00

The Hidden Life of a Toad




Budding naturalists will be transfixed by this unprecedented peek into the secrets of tadpole metamorphosis.

In jaw-dropping photos, Doug Wechsler captures the life cycle of the American toad from egg to tadpole to adult. To get these images, Wechsler sat in a pond wearing waders, went out night after night in search of toads, and cut his own glass to make a home aquarium. The resulting photos reveal metamorphosis in extreme close-up as readers have never seen it before.

Budding naturalists will be transfixed by this unprecedented peek into the secrets of tadpole transformation. 


A book that encourages observation and conservation and may start some young biologists off on their own lifelong quests to understand animals — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A fascinating look at toad development — Booklist, starred review

Suitable for libraries needing to bolster their early nonfiction collections — School Library Journal

A remarkable visual chronicle of an easily overlooked creature — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Chicago Public Library’s 2017 Best of the Best Books selection

2018 Green Earth Book Honor for Children’s nonfiction

  • Published: 15 April 2017
  • ISBN: 9781580897389
  • Imprint: Charlesbridge Children
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 48
  • RRP: $45.00

Praise for The Hidden Life of a Toad

Praise for Marvels in Muck: Life in the Salt Marshes

  • "[E]xcellent. . .photos illustrate this clearly written presentation"--Booklist

  • Praise for Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Pool
  • "Wechsler's clear, color photos provide an excellent visual counterpoint to the text. This well-focused book will open readers' eyes to an ecological feature they may have seen without recognizing."--Booklist, starred review
  • "Attractive and informative, this will be welcomed by young naturalists and their teachers."--Kirkus Reviews
  • "The full-color photographs vividly bring this environment to life."--School Library Journal
  • "An exceptional addition to the juvenile science collection for public libraries and schools alike."--Library Media Connection