‘Toad Rage’ a funny adventure tale

Mon., July 26, 2004

The Washington Post

“Toad Rage,” by Morris Gleitzman

Ages 8-12

Cane toads were introduced to Australia in the 1930s as a way to control the beetles that were destroying sugar cane. But the toads couldn’t jump high enough to eat the beetles, and instead began eating everything else in sight. Soon they got out of control, covering almost 200,000 square miles of Australia, and it’s not hard to see why: They can live up to 15 years and the females can lay up to 30,000 eggs per year. Oh, and they’re poisonous, too!

It helps to know all that to understand why cane toads are so hated in Australia and why people love running them over.

The hero of Morris Gleitzman’s book isn’t going to take that fate lying down, however. A young injured cane toad named Limpy sets out to remake the image of cane toads everywhere, or die trying. If the idea of dried, flattened toad skins being stored in someone’s bedroom is too icky for you, you might want to skip this one. If not, you’re in for a funny, squash-buckling adventure.

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