Commander Toad is a toad that lives in space. He is the captain of the ship Star Warts and he has his own crew. The crew members are Mr. Hop, Lieutenant Lily, Jake Skyjumper, and Doc Peeper. One day the crew gets a secret message to go on a dangerous mission. They have to pick up an intergalactic spy from a place called Eden. The spy is Commander Toads cousin and the crew has to fly to Eden where all of the spies wear disguises. The receive three specific clues; his cousin will wear a croak-a-dial, drink croak-a-cola, and carry a photograph of his favorite cousin. When they arrive in Eden, they are greeted by five spies in disguises. Each spy has on all of the clues that Commander Toad received. In order to find out which spy is Commander Toad's cousin, the crew gives the spies a challenge. They make each spy run through a field of tulips. The spies run through and bees and flies come out of the tulips. Only one spy sticks out his tongue to catch the flies as he ran through the field. Commander Toad knew that this spy was his cousin. When the spy removed his disguise he was indeed Commander Toad's cousin.
Teachers can use this book to discuss fiction books in their classrooms. Because this is a story about a toad in space, children will know that is not true. Teachers can use this book as well as other science fiction books to discuss this genre and have the students make up their own science fiction stories using the elements that they find in different stories.
