Jeff the Frog. the Lost Hop - by Adam Ciccio (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A fun story whose message may stick if depression strikes." - Booklist

Included in CBC's 2025 May Hot Off the Press reading list!

This is Jeff. He used to be a happy frog. He loved hopping from lily pad to lily pad with his three friends, Dominic, Fred, and Alice. But when his best friend, Dominic, suddenly moves away, Jeff feels so sad that he loses his hop. Can his friends find a way to help Jeff hop again?

This heartwarming story, crafted by author and child psychologist Adam Ciccio, addresses the challenges of depression and the pain of saying goodbye. It serves as a powerful resource for promoting mental well-being and self-acceptance.ith its simple narrative and charming pastel illustrations, this book makes complex emotions accessible to young readers, opening up conversations about sadness and the support of caring friends.

A heartwarming story about conquering depression with the support of caring friends. For frogs and friends ages 5 years and up.

Review Quotes

"Child psychologist Ciccio uses a light touch here to show how depression can start, how it can intensify, and how support and action can defeat it. At book's start, Jeff the frog and his three froggy friends are having a ball hopping lily pads, swimming, and eating bugs. But one of his friends moves away, and Jeff is devastated, losing interest in his usual pleasures. He becomes immobile, just sitting on his lost friend's old lily pad--so much so that Jeff and the lily pad are sinking. As a scribbly cloud over Jeff's head grows, indicating his deepening sadness, his baffled friends search everywhere for Jeff's lost hop, even braving the inside of an alligator's mouth to find it. Gentle pastels and humorous touches of the illustrations (including lettering that hops up and down, mimicking the frogs' frolics) add to the story's friendly tone. Finally, with the support of
his friends, Jeff gets up shakily on his frog legs, starts hopping again, and is happy. A fun story whose message may stick if depression strikes." - Booklist

Included in CBC's 2025 May Hot Off the Press reading list!

About the Author

Adam Ciccio (1983) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in Savannah, Georgia, and attended high school at St. Andrew's School on Wilmington Island, GA. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in English from the University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH) in 2006 and with a master of science in psychological counseling at Salem State University (Salem, MA) in 2012. Adam owns an outpatient mental health practice for children and adults in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the same town in which he currently resides. He's the author of several picture books that focus on developmental growth and self-confidence during early childhood.