The Ballad of Tubs Marshfield

Life is "a song" for Tubs, a musician frog who lives in a Louisiana swamp where he and his community of animals have always had all they've needed. But then things change. Fish, a crucial food source, begin to disappear, and many animals start coming down with the same ailment. Pythia, an alligator witch, tells Tubs that by traveling to the city and sharing his songs, he can save the swamp. So Tubs leaves his beloved home while Lila, his doctor cousin, stays to investigate whether the water is to blame for the illness. When Tubs has a change of heart and heads back home, he discovers a pipe pumping pollution into his swamp as well as the factory responsible for it. The animals must collaborate and use their strengths, including Tubs's songwriting skills, to save their home. Hoffman (Bernard Pepperlin) brings the rich beauty of the ancient swamp to life with vivid descriptions of its scents, sights, and sounds, making it clear why the animals must save it. While Hoffman shines a sharp light on humans' damaging impact on nature, the story also shows the inspiring power of setting aside differences and working together to make change. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)

Tubs the frog lives for music. His ancestors have been singing their songs for 265 million years. In the Louisiana swamp, crawfish, salamanders, dragonflies, and swallows live harmoniously among the ferns and cattails. But something has changed. The inhabitants of the swamp are getting sick: Gloria is losing her feathers and Tubs has developed a rash. Lila, Tubs's cousin, is a scientist and physician who scrambles to figure out what's making the swamp creatures ill. Leaving home for New Orleans to realize his dream as a musician, Tubs inadvertently discovers what's wrong with his home. Can Tubs and Lila rally the creatures and stop the factory from spewing poisonous chemicals into the wetland? Hoffman has created in Tubs the voice of personal and collective responsibility for the protection of animal habitats that is sure to appeal to young activists; Tubs's protest songs become a call to action. Pointing vividly to the interconnectedness of humans and the denizens of the swamp, Lila suggests that if the creatures get sick, it won't be long before the factory workers will too. Some of the animals turn away from science, believing in magic and unsubstantiated rumor. Hoffman effectively builds suspense, as the story moves to its climax and the cause of the water contamination. VERDICT Hoffman paints a powerful sense of place, and the language sparkles with the color, sounds, and smells of the teeming life of the swamp. A timely purchase for all collections about collective environmental responsibility.—Sarah Webb, City and Country Sch. Lib., NY

“Bernard and his newfound friends—revolutionary rats, wise-cracking cats, and coffee-chugging squirrels, to name a few—will delight and inspire readers of all ages. New York City will never be the same again!”—Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medal-winning author of Hello Universe