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Life with Frogs and Toads


Life with Frogs and Toads
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.91

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    abound, bullfrog, eclipse, full-spectrum, leap-challenged, legged, loquacious, mealy, mid-60s, mid-70s, midwife, peepers, potting, selection, sunscreen, supposedly
     content words:    Native Americans, In China


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Life with Frogs and Toads
By Colleen Messina
  

1     People all over the world have different ideas about frogs and toads. If you can ignore some weird folklore, you might enjoy having these amphibians as pets.
 
2     Myths about frogs and toads abound. In ancient times, Australian aborigines and Native Americans thought that frogs brought rain. Japanese people thought that frogs brought good luck. One legend said that a great bullfrog could suck all of the mosquitoes out of a room in one big breath. Others believed that frogs and toads caused warts, or that toads were evil. In China, they see a toad in the moon instead of a man. Supposedly, an eclipse is when the toad tries to swallow the moon!
 
3     Despite all these stories, frogs and toads are usually harmless. They are hardy, quiet, and interesting. Frogs are not like loquacious Kermit -- the only talking they do is a resounding croak. Frogs and toads are four legged, tailless amphibians that have been on this planet for millions of years. Over 4,500 species of frogs and toads exist, but new species are always being discovered. The Amazon is a home to many new species. If you go shopping for a frog or a toad, you have a selection of amphibians with all kinds of fancy names. Painted frogs, midwife toads, fire bellied toads, and spring peepers are just a few of the many kinds of frogs and toads that populate the planet. Real life frogs and toads have more exciting names than most muppets.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
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