‘Frog is an inspired creation – a masterpiece of graphic simplicity. Plain, green and vulnerable, he has a thoughtful dignity.’
Guardian
Max Velthuijs (Dutch for field house and pronounced accordingly) was born in The Hague in 1923. In 1944 he finished his studies in graphic design and art at the Academy in Arnhem, and after the war he designed political prints and posters, and was then commissioned to design various posters, stamps, book covers, animated films and advertisements, for which he has received many awards. He has had many one-man exhibitions in Dutch galleries. In 1968 he illustrated a book for Nord Sud Verlag in Switzerland, and the next year his own picture book appeared, entitled THE BOY AND THE FISH. Since then he illustrated all of his own stories. He also taught at the Art Academy in The Hague.
Among the many awards he won for his books, are the Dutch Silver Pencil Award and the Dutch Golden Paintbrush (twice), the American Graphic Award of the Society of Illustrators, the French Prix de Treize, and the German Bestlist Award, (also twice.) A new Dutch prize for illustration in Max’s honour, the Velthuijs Award, will be launched in 2007.
Max's Links
Frog Webpage
Max's Books
0. Frog is Frog - Paperback
£5.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781849391177) Frog is not content to be just a plain green frog, he wants to do the things his friends can do. He tries to fly like Duck, to bake cakes like Pig and to read like Hare. But all his attempts are doomed to failure, and Frog is disconsolate, until Hare points out that his friends love him just the way he is. And in any case, he can swim and leap better than any of them!
0. Frog Finds a Friend - Paperback
£5.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781849390712) One fine autumn day, Frog finds a little bear lost and alone in the forest. He decides to take him home to be his new friend. Hare tells him bear won't be able to talk, but Frog is determined to teach him. And to the other animals' surprise, he does! They become the best of friends, but one day, little bear decides to go back to where he came from. Frog is inconsolable – will he ever see him again?
Frog and Little Bear go off to dig for treasure. 'But how do you know there will be treasure?' says Little Bear.'I just know,' says FrogSo together they dig a hole; a hole so deep that once they are in, they can't get out. Who will rescue them? And at the end of it all, will they have discovered treasure? Of course they will.
0. Frog in Love - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648725) Frog is worried about his health: His heart is beating too fast. His friend Hare says that he must be in love- but who is he in love with? This important book deals not only with the nature of being in love but also the issue of prejudice: ' A frog can't be in love with a duck. You're green and she's white. ' But Frog doesn't let that bother him . . . Green and white. Love knows no boundaries. This enchanting love story was the first book by Max Velthuijs on the Andersen list - now available as an Andersen paperback.
When Frog hears that Rat is off in an adventure to explore the wide world, he excitedly joins him and they set off full of anticipation. But it doesn't take long for Frog to start missing his friends Pig, Duck and Hare. He soon discovers that he was much happier leaving the wide world where it was, far from home. . .
0. Frog Is A Hero - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862647612) When a rat comes to live at the edge of their wood, the animals decide they don't like having a stranger in their midst. But Frog is friendly by nature, and decides to find out if Rat is really as unpleasant as he is made out to be. As Frog discovers, Rat is intelligent and good hearted, and proves in a series of unexpected emergencies that the other animals have been too quick to condemn him.
0. Frog And Hare - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862649951) 0. Frog In Winter - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862645212) Frog is taken by surprise when winter comes. He doesn't understand why everything is covered with white and he skids and slips on the icy pond. He is too cold to take part in any of the joyous fun that Duck is having skating or that Hare is having throwing snowballs. The animals band together to equip Frog for enjoying winter, and later they share in his rejoicing when spring arrives.
0. Frog Is Frightened - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862647148) One night Frog imagines he hears a frightening noise. He is so scared he runs over to Duck's house and Duck tells him there is nothing to worry about. But as they settle down to sleep they both imagine they hear a frightening noise and they run over to Pig's house where they all cuddle together. In the morning it is Hare who gets a real fright when he finds both Frog's and Duck's houses empty and gets no answer at Pig's because by now they are all fast asleep.
0. Frog Is Frog - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648121) Frog is not content to be just a plain green frog, he wants to do the things his friends can do. He tries to fly like Duck, to bake cakes like Pig and to read like Hare. But all his attempts are doomed to failure, and Frog is disconsolate, until Hare points out that his friends love him just the way he is. And in any case, he can swim and leap better than any of them! 'Frog's emotional ups and downs are, as always, handled with a tactful honesty and witty stylistic economy' - Guardian
0. Frog And Pig - Board Book
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648817) 0. Frog And Duck - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648800) 0. Frog in Love - Paperback
£5.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842709566) Frog is feeling most unwell. He keeps getting hot, then cold, and something inside his chest is going 'thump, thump'. Hare says it means he's in love! But who with? And how can he show his devotion - perhaps by performing the biggest jump ever?
0. Frog Is Frightened - Paperback
£5.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842708200) Frog and his friends, Duck and Pig, don't believe in ghosts, until they all hear frightening noises in the dead of night. They huddle together for comfort in Pig's bed, but in the morning it is Hare who gets a real fright when he finds Frog's house empty and gets no answer at Pig's because the three friends are now fast asleep!
Frog is excited – Hare has promised him that today will be a very special day. Nobody seems to know why, so Frog resolves to find out. Frog decides that Hare has been playing a trick on him...but has he?
0. Frog Is Frightened - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862647148) One night Frog imagines he hears a frightening noise. He is so scared he runs over to Duck's house and Duck tells him there is nothing to worry about. But as they settle down to sleep they both imagine they hear a frightening noise and they run over to Pig's house where they all cuddle together. In the morning it is Hare who gets a real fright when he finds both Frog's and Duck's houses empty and gets no answer at Pig's because by now they are all fast asleep.
0. Frog Is A Hero - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862647612) 0. Frog Is Frog - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648121) Frog is not content to be just a plain green frog, he wants to do the things his friends can do. He tries to fly like Duck, to bake cakes like Pig and to read like Hare. But all his attempts are doomed to failure, and Frog is disconsolate, until Hare points out that his friends love him just the way he is. And in any case, he can swim and leap better than any of them! 'Frog's emotional ups and downs are, as always, handled with a tactful honesty and witty stylistic economy' - Guardian
0. Frog And Duck - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648800) 0. Frog And Pig - Board Book
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862648817) When Frog hears that Rat is off in an adventure to explore the wide world, he excitedly joins him and they set off full of anticipation. But it doesn't take long for Frog to start missing his friends Pig, Duck and Hare. He soon discovers that he was much happier leaving the wide world where it was, far from home. . .
0. Frog And Hare - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862649951) 0. Frog Finds A Friend - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842702130) When Frog finds a teddy bear all alone in the forest, he takes him home. Despite the derision of his friends, he plays football with him in the daytime, and tells him stories in the evening to teach the little bear to talk, which indeed he does! Soon all Frog's friends adore little bear too and give him special treats - but even so, one day he doesn't want to play anymore, or tosay anything. He wants to go home. But that doesn't mean he can't come back again, does it? No, it doesn't!
0. Frog in Love - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842702253) Frog is feeling most unwell. He keeps getting hot, then cold, and something inside his chest is going 'thump, thump'. Hare says it means he's in love! But who with? And how can he show his devotion - perhaps by performing the biggest jump ever?
0. Frog Is Sad - Hardback
£9.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842702895) Frog is miserable, and he cannot see why. Nobody has upset him, and nothing has gone wrong particularly, but he stills feel blue. Then one of his stalwart friends makes him laugh, and suddenly he realises he's not sad anymore - and he still doesn't know why!
Frog and Little Bear go off to dig for treasure. 'But how do you know there will be treasure?' says Little Bear.'I just know,' says Frog. So together they dig a hole; a hole so deep that once they are in, they can't get out. Who will rescue them? And at the end of it all, will they have discovered treasure? Of course they will.
There are 5 jigsaw puzzles with 9 pieces each in this new novelty board book, featuring characters from the well-loved series about Frog. This new title uses the same format as Elmer's Jigsaw Book, which has sold over 10,000 copies to date.
0. Frog Is Sad - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842704271) Frog is miserable, and he cannot see why. Nobody has upset him, and nothing has gone wrong particularly, but he still feels blue. Then one of his stalwart friends makes him laugh - and suddenly he realises he's not sad anymore. He still doesn't know why he was so sad in the first place, but it doesn't matter. A perfect book to explore emotions and mood swings with the under 5s.
0. Frog In Winter - Hardback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9781842704479) One morning, Frog wakes up knowing that something had gone wrong with the world. Everything is completely white, and it is very cold outside. Much too cold for Frog to take part in any of the fun that his friends are having with the ice and snow. It's even too cold for him to enjoy a snowball fight! After all, he is just a bare frog - he has neither fur nor feathers- Eventually the other animals band together to equip Frog with warm clothing and extra firewood. But nothing will really cheer Frog up as much as the arrival of the Spring!
When a rat comes to live at the edge of their wood, the animals decide they don't like having a stranger in their midst. But Frog is friendly by nature, and decides to find out if Rat is really as unpleasant as he is made out to be. As Frog discovers, Rat is intelligent and good hearted, and proves in a series of unexpected emergencies that the other animals have been too quick to condemn him.
0. Frog In Winter - Paperback
£4.99 by Max Velthuijs
(Books/All genres)
(ISBN:9780862645212) Frog is taken by surprise when winter comes. He doesn't understand why everything is covered with white and he skids and slips on the icy pond. He is too cold to take part in any of the joyous fun that Duck is having skating or that Hare is having throwing snowballs. The animals band together to equip Frog for enjoying winter, and later they share in his rejoicing when spring arrives.
When a rat comes to live at the edge of their wood, the animals decide they don't like having a stranger in their midst. But Frog is friendly by nature, and decides to find out if Rat is really as unpleasant as he is made out to be. As Frog discovers, Rat is intelligent and good hearted, and proves in a series of unexpected emergencies that the other animals have been too quick to condemn him.
When Frog finds a bird lying motionless in the grass, Hare tells him that it is dead and explains what this means. The animals find a quiet burial spot for the bird who sang so beautifully for them. Touched by the scene, they make their way home when suddenly Frog runs ahead and starts a game of catch. The animals play happily and as they pass the tree where the bird used to sing, they see another bird sitting there singing a song of its own.
Awards & Reviews
Out of Shadows
by Jason Wallace
'Excellent. [Out of Shadows is] the
Independent
Elmer's Special Day
by David McKee
Chris Brown, School Librarian
