Be welcoming. [The Frog at the Window by Scott Langteau]

While Katy and her family spend a snowy Christmas away at Grandma's house, a cold and clever little frog jumps at the chance to move into their warm, empty home. Unfortunately, so does every other four-legged forest dweller in the area. With the perfect holiday vacation house overrun with guests, chaos quickly erupts until the group finds a peaceful solution in this holiday tale of tails. What begins as a break from the wintry woolly land transforms into an annual holiday tradition of kindness and generosity. The Frog at the Window is a Christmas tale with a message for every season!

Scott J. Langteau's The Frog at the Window, illustrated by Michaela Brannon, is a weird little holiday tale. A door is left open as a family departs for the holidays leaving animals in the need of shelter and food available to enter and make use of their house. At first I wondered, is the story here that the needy will overuse? That transients have no concept of boundaries, of manners? But the end of the story seems to indicate that a child's kindness, a child's spirit of welcoming is the gift of the season. 

This was a cute holiday story. The illustrations were beautiful, reflecting the wild hijinks throughout. It's not your usual Christmas story, there's no physical gift exchange, no mention of Santa Claus or any religious elements. But the spirit of sharing, the continued gift of giving that one can assume is the message is more than enough. 5 stars from me.

The Frog at the Window was published November 3, 2020.