When Spring arrived, Cori searched the backyard for critters needing help.
A beetle sloshed in the dog’s water dish.
Cori fished it out and placed it on the patio to dry.
“A great animal rescue!” Cori exclaimed.
On hands and knees, holding a magnifying glass, Cori scanned the patio.
“Oh no, it’s drying!” Cori cried.
Using her fingers like tweezers, she gently moved the earthworm over to the grass.
“Another great animal rescue,” said Cori.
She continued her quest for critters needing help.
“Oh no!” Cori cried.
Under a pile of branches, she found a tiny frozen frog.
Cori scooped it up and placed it in a sunny spot.
The frog didn’t move or breathe.
“Sorry, I didn’t get here in time,” whispered Cori.
The tiny amphibian statue stared back with blank eyes.
Then blinked!
Cori yelped.
The little frog defrosted in the sun.
“Another great animal rescue,” said Cori.
*Wood frogs can live in the arctic circle. Their bodies produce an antifreeze substance that allows them to completely freeze in the winter. No breathing. No heartbeats. Ice can even form in between their cells! But when spring comes, they thaw out and immediately go out to find a mate.
Check out all the entries (and/or enter your own story) for the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest at https://ciaraoneal.weebly.com/spring-fling-kidlit-contest
Heather Bell 
Awesome! My kids have been saving bees, still cold and drowsy, from the street and putting them in the grass.
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Aww!
Your kids are so sweet 🙂
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This is lovely Heather. I’m trying to teach my grandchild not to stomp on insects and this little story would be a good book to teach children to respect all animals. The frog is so cute!
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Thank you, Eleanor! I wonder if it’s simply the idea of “I’m bigger” that creates the desire to stomp 😛
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Sorry for the late reply Heather
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I was so worried for this little frog. You created a character that I felt connected to in such a short space. And your MC is so wonderful to help. My daughter (8) said, “I liked that. That’s something I would do!” Good luck, Heather!
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Thank you to you and your daughter. I’m glad to hear she’s a rescuer too 🙂 And good luck back at ya!
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Cute story and I love the rescues. I’m a wildlife biologist so this is near to my heart! Good luck!
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Thank you, Nancy!
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Fun AND informative!
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Thanks 🙂
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I love this! I just found out about this cool hibernation for frogs when I first started teaching, so cool right?! I love that Cori figures this out on her own! Thanks so much for entering this great spring story into the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest
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