Why I wrote Tree Frogs' First Annual Ice Cream Social

by Erin Lachut

Tree Frogs First Annual Ice Cream Social, a story that is as unique as it is whimsical. The tale of a Red-Eyed tree frog who stumbles upon ingredients in the rainforest while making his own ice cream to share appeals to a wide age range of children, and explores nature with enough content enabling teachers to enjoy using it in the classroom. I wanted to write and illustrate a children’s picture book that allows for serious conversation between adults, whether they are parents or teachers, and children. There is a major underlying theme of ecological awareness which can be seen in the Frog Fact page at the back of the book, the eco-friendly art activities listed on my author website, and of course, the recycled paper that the book is printed on. I hope this sense of environmental responsibility instilled in the project is passed on to my readers. Children are very sensitive to this topic and will be able to relate to it even more after reading a fun story about the tree frogs that need our help in many ways.

I plan to start a children’s book club with interactive demonstrations at book retailers and kid-friendly sites complete with art activities and ice cream! I hope to both educate and entertain my readers with informational and discipline-based art education activities, and I am confident that I will be able to do so using both my degree in Arts Education and my story Tree Frogs First Annual Ice Cream Social.

I enjoyed developing these realistic characters in their fictional habitat and writing a story that encourages children to work together towards a common goal- like making ice cream! Let’s work together along with all the important young people in our lives and to improve ecological awareness because every little bit helps.