The Froggy Library

Gr 3-7–Fiveash, a nonbinary Diné (Navajo) cartoonist and a former librarian, has created a fun, frog-filled love letter to Indigenous communities. The setting is based on the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, and there are numerous cultural references that Fiveash cleverly transmutes into a world of frogs. Anura, a nonbinary frog, arrives to visit Grandma Juniper in the desert town of Soggy Stump, and with a little nudge from her, takes a job at the local library. There they not only beef up the manga collection but also start a community archive, with guidance from Fern, the librarian. Anura’s explorations include talking to Grandma’s friend Olive, who weaves traditional rugs, and visiting a community garden and the local comic shop, where they learn to make a zine. The tone of the story shifts about two-thirds of the way through, from cheery and upbeat to more serious, when Grandma Juniper has an asthma attack and goes into hospice. As Anura is trying to process this, Grandma Juniper comes to them in a dream and talks about the importance of the experiences they have had, as well as those yet to come. This is a thoughtful and sensitive approach to the subject of death. The story is filled with references to Navajo culture, including vocabulary, food, and traditions, all embedded in a modern world where Grandma Juniper and Olive go to the casino and the teens read manga with punning titles, such as Frogmetal Alchemist. The artwork is simple and more expressive than realistic. The dialogue gets deep at times, as the characters have conversations about aging, death, memories, and traditions, but it stays natural and simple enough that even younger readers will be able to understand it, while older readers and those familiar with Diné tradition will get more from the puns and cultural references.