The Hidden Life of a Toad

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