A REVOLUTIONARY FROG

All the little froglets were gathered around on lily pads waiting to hear the latest tale told by Grandma Frog. Froglets came from near and far. They looked forward every evening to hear the stories she told. She was the best story teller ever and her tales were known in swamps, creeks and ponds everywhere. So, they gathered every evening happily listening to a bed time story told by the one and only Grandma Frog. As they waited, the little froglets played froggy games like leap frog and a card game called Frog (similar to Fish but you are told Go Frog!) and naturally the cards are water resistant. Or, they just visited among themselves catching an occasional fly or mosquito.

Before long Grandma Frog arrived. You didn’t have to see her to know she had come. There was a gigantic splash and she settled herself on a very, very big lily pad. Grandma Frog ate lots and lots of crickets and bugs so she needed quite a big lily pad. She looked out over the crowd of froglets, smiled (frogs are always smiling, you know), took her spectacles from her apron pocket and after placing them on, she said,

"The better to see you, little ones. Are you ready for a story?"

The little froglets went wild! Yes! Yes! We’re ready, they croaked. Some little froggys were so excited they jumped up and down on their lily pads splashing water all over.

"Good," said Grandma Frog. "Do you know how important frogs are?"

"No," the froglets told her. "Are we really important, Grandma Frog," asked Stanley.

"Oh my yes," Grandma Frog told them. "Why some frogs have shaped history!"

"Really," the froglets asked.

"Yes indeedy," Grandma Frog told them. "Now tonight I am going to tell you a true story about a very famous frog. His name was George Washington Frog. He lived at the same time as the very first president of our country, George Washington. It’s not clear if George Frog was named for George the president or whether George the president was named for George the frog. We frogs of course prefer to believe that the president was named for George the frog but it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that George Washington Frog helped George Washington, who was then a general during the Revolutionary War."

"What was the Revolutionary War," asked Herbert.

"When the people first came here, they were ruled by England, a country very far from here, way across the ocean. Things were fine for a while until the English started making the people here do things they didn’t want to do like pay big taxes, taking a percent of everything they earned. The colonists (the people here) decided they didn’t want to be ruled by England anymore and wanted to be free and start their own country. But England didn’t want them to be free and so they were fighting about it. The colonists threw England’s tea in the harbor (tea is big in England, you know) because they didn’t want to pay taxes on it. Frogs of course were here long before the people and as you know, frogs are very peaceful. Many frogs and people became good friends. George Frog and George Washington were friends and would often spend a summer evening together talking and enjoying each others company. But all the arguments between the colonists and the English caused them to fight. George Washington Frog didn’t really care about fighting but since he was good friends with George Washington, he was loyal to him. He didn’t like it that sometimes the English were mean to the colonists so he could understand why they wanted to be free."

"They were mean," asked Phineas Phrog.

"Yes, they were," answered Grandma Frog, "and the people got fed up."

"What did they do," the froglets all called out.

"They decided then that they would declare their independence," Grandma Frog told them.

"How did they do that," asked Byron Bullfrog, a very studious frog and quite interested in history.

"On July the 4^th, the colonists wrote the Declaration of Independence which said they wanted to be free of England and be their own country," Grandma Frog told them.

"And then they were free," a little girl froglet asked.

"Not quite," Grandma Frog told her. "You see, by writing the Declaration of Independence, the people were telling England they were even willing to go to war against them to be free. So, the English sent lots of soldiers dressed in red uniforms to fight the rebels."

"Rebels?" The froglets did not understand what that word meant.

"They were rebels because they wouldn’t do what the English wanted. It means someone who won’t do what is expected of them. Like a froglet who won’t eat his crickets or play nicely with other froglets."

"Oh." The froglets understood. They all knew some rebel frogs and sometimes they weren’t very nice.

"But in this case, that was alright to be a rebel because they were fighting a good cause, to be free and live like they wanted to," Grandma Frog informed them.

"And that is what the Revolutionary War was about," asked Bob Bullfrog.

"Yes, and that’s where George Washington Frog comes in. George Washington, the person, was made general of the rebel army and he had to make sure they won. Mostly he did a fine job but one very important time he needed George Washington Frog’s advice and because the general listened, it made a big difference in the outcome of the war." Grandma Frog paused in her tale to catch a fly.

The froglets were all excited. They couldn’t wait to hear how a frog helped win the Revolutionary War! But they waited patiently while Grandma Frog gulped down her snack.

"General George Washington planned to cross a river with his troops to surprise the English, win the battle and hopefully the war. But he made a bad decision about which river to cross," Grandma Frog told the froglets.

"How is it he chose the wrong river, Grandma Frog," asked Leonard. "He was a general and very smart, wasn’t he?"

"Yes indeed! But sometimes we make mistakes no matter how smart we are," Grandma Frog said. "And this is why George Washington Frog saved the day!"

The froglets squirmed around on their lily pads with anticipation. Here comes the good part! How a frog changed history! They were so excited and proud to be a frog!

Grandma Frog dipped her spectacles into the pond and dried them on her apron. After examining them to make sure they were clean by holding them up to the light, she put them back on and looked at the froglets. She smiled at them and chuckled. She knew they couldn’t wait to hear how a frog saved the day and when she saw that they couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, she continued.

"General George had planned to cross the Potomac River and was getting ready to do this when George Frog heard about it. But he can’t cross there, he thought. I must warn him! George Frog commenced hopping toward General George’s camp near the Potomac River. He hoped he would get there in time so he hopped and hopped just as fast as he could. He didn’t even stop once for a fly or bug along the way!"

"Wow," exclaimed Albert Amphibian. Albert was a rather plump frog, always fly catching and he couldn’t imagine not stopping for a fly or bug.

"Was it very far," asked Ann Phibian.

"Yes it was," replied Grandma Frog. "But everything is within hopping distance you know. Besides, George Frog could not let his friend George the general make a mistake that could lose him the war."

Grandma Frog reached into the pond at the edge of her lily pad, scooped up a tiny froglet treading water, placed him on her generous lap and continued her story.

"George Frog hopped and hopped and hopped! It seemed like forever! He was hungry and very tired but still he hopped and hopped and hopped. At long last he reached General George’s camp. Exhausted, he gave one last hop and landed at General George’s feet. General George looked down at his frog friend in amazement.

"Is that you, George Frog," he asked. "You are very far from home. Have you hopped all this way?"

George Frog was so tired, he could only croak weakly. General George picked him up and placed him gently on his bed. Kneeling beside him, he asked his aids to bring water because he knew George Frog liked water (as all frogs do, of course) and he hoped that would help him. He was quite worried about his frog friend since he had never known him to croak so weakly before but he knew if his friend had traveled so far to see him, there must be a very important reason.

The aid returned with a dish of water and General George lovingly placed his friend in it. General George feared it was too late. He was afraid that George Frog had tired himself out so much with all his hopping over so great a distance because George Frog just lay quietly and limply in the water without so much as a croak.

"Was he dead," asked Polly Wog, tearfully.

"My goodness, no! He couldn’t have become a famous frog had he died," Grandma Frog assured her. "No, he was fine. He was just very tired and needed a minute or two in the water to revive. Soon, he felt better and stronger. George Frog sat up, hopped onto General George’s lap as he always did when they visited with each other. General George was much relieved. He cared a lot for George Frog but he could tell his frog friend was quite concerned. He asked George Frog what the matter was and what was so important that he had hopped so far to see him"

"George! George! Don’t go into the Potomac! Don’t do it! I’ve been in the Potomac and believe me! You don’t want to go there! Besides, it isn’t the right river!" George Frog was hopping up and down on General George’s lap, quite upset."

"But you know I have to cross the river to win the war. It will surprise the enemy," General George told him.

"Yes, I know, George. But not the Potomac! Please! Not the Potomac! It’s the wrong river!" George Frog was frantic.

"The wrong river?" General George looked out over the Potomac River. It looked harmless to him and he could have sworn the enemy was on the other side.

"Yes, George. The wrong river. You need to cross the Delaware River! We frogs have been doing our patriotic duty as you requested, spying on the enemy, since you know that few people pay much attention to a frog hopping about.

     We saw the enemy camped on the other side of the Delaware River!" George Frog hoped General George would listen to what he had to say. Even though they were best friends, George Frog realized he was still just a frog and maybe General George would think a frog could not know the best river to cross or tell the difference between the English and the colonists. After all, George Frog had often told General George he could hardly tell people apart. They sort of all looked alike. So, he waited while General George thought about it.

"My friend, I trust you. If you say we must cross the Delaware, then that is what we shall do! I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you hopped all this way to prevent me from making such a big mistake," General George said.

"And so, General George gathered his troops and they headed north toward the Delaware River. They gave George Frog a ride and let him huddle under warm blankets because it was winter and what do frogs do in the winter," asked Grandma Frog.

"Hibernate!" The froglets all knew about hibernating to keep warm in the cold winters. They couldn’t imagine a frog hopping about in the dead of winter! George Frog was truly a very brave frog!

"That’s right. George Frog was very cold because normally he would be hibernating but since General George needed his help, he didn’t burrow under the mud that winter. It was so cold, even General George and his troops were shivering and almost freezing! So, you can imagine how a frog must have felt." Grandma Frog caught a mosquito but wasted no time gulping it down before finishing her story.

"General George crossed the Delaware River and the rebels won the war. They were free. There are pictures of General George in a boat with his troops as he crossed the river. And that, my dear little froglets, is how a frog became famous during the Revolutionary War and changed history. If the rebels had lost the war, why, this country might still be ruled by England."

The froglets were quiet thinking about that.

"Now I am getting very hungry. A fly now and then is not much of a dinner. Go hunt for bugs now, little froglets. I will see you tomorrow and tell you about more famous frogs," Grandma Frog said as she slid off her lily pad into the water.

All the froglets jumped into the water, catching bugs as they swam away. All that is, except one little froglet who swam over to Grandma Frog.

"Grandma Frog?"

"Yes?" Grandma Frog enjoyed her dinner immensely but never enough to not answer a froglet.

"Was George Frog in the boat with General George," the little froglet asked.

"He certainly was! The general insisted his frog friend be there by his side when he crossed the Delaware River since he wouldn’t have been crossing the Delaware, but the Potomac, had it not been for his frog friend."

"And was George Frog in the picture of General George in the boat," the little froglet asked.

Grandma Frog patted the froglet on his head. "Yes, he was. People can’t see him unless they look very closely. Frogs of course can see him just fine."

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