“One morning king Pharaoh woke in his bed
There were frogs in his bed and frogs on his head
Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes
Frogs here. Frogs there
Frogs just jumping everywhere!”
That song, Frogs in the Bed is completely familiar to young children and their parents. A staple of Jewish nursery schools and model seders for over 50 years, it almost feels like it’s a part of the Hagaddah.
That’s why author/ illustrator Ann Koffsky’ wanted to make ‘The Frog Song,’ as many refer to it, into a children’s book. “The frogs were just calling to me,” says Koffsky, “I just knew they would lend themselves to some really fun drawings.”
“Of course,” Koffsky adds, “My lawyer husband pointed out that I better get permission from the original author. Someone wrote that song,” That someone was Shirley Cohen-Steinberg.
Today, Cohen-Steinberg lives in Ottawa, Canada and is 87 years young. She originally wrote this, and many other children's songs in the 1950s for her Hebrew school students.
Back then, there were virtually no Jewish songs specifically targeted towards children. “There was very little that had any whimsy or fun –nothing playful,” recalls Cohen-Steinberg. She wrote three records worth of songs to fill that gap, and recorded them for Kinor records for the grand sum of $100 per record.
The rest is history. Today, her songs are used in seders around the world from California and Jerusalem to London and Australia. “For a long time I wasn’t aware of how far they had spread,” says Cohen-Steinberg. “But about three years ago I went to a seder in Calgary, and some guests from Australia were there. When they requested that we all sing, ‘The Frog Song’—that’s when I realized,”
But while her songs have spread across the globe, Cohen-Steinberg’s attribution has faded. Song sheets are often copied and shared without her credit line. Musicians record the song and assume it is in the public domain. However, Cohen-Steinberg wrote the song in 1951, and copyrights last for a minimum of 75 years. The rights still remain with her.
This created a challenge for Koffsky. “I found one song sheet that said “Shirley Cohen on it,” Koffsky recalls, “Shirley wasn’t yet a ‘Steinberg’ back in 1951. But guess what happens when you google ‘Shirley Cohen’? You get about a zillion hits,” Koffsky says wryly. Finding the right Shirley Cohen, author of the famous frog song, became Koffsky’s quest.
It involved speaking with university archivists, Hassidic music shop owners in Brooklyn and authorities in Klezmer and Jewish music. One speculated that Shirley had moved to Florida. Another was certain she had passed on. Finally, librarian Ina Cohen at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s library uncovered an article from the Ottawa JCC that had profiled Shirley, and was able to connect the dots, and lead Koffsky to Cohen-Steinberg.
“When I finally got her on the phone, I was so nervous!” says Koffsky, “It felt like speaking to Elvis or the Beatles!”
The happy result of that faithful quest is the book, Frogs in the Bed: My Passover Seder Activity Book (Behrman House). Full of fun and frogs, the book highlights Cohen-Steinberg’s song and illustrates it with whimsical pictures that are sure to make any child smile. Additional activities and crafts have been included, making it useful for both before and during the Seder.
“I am thrilled with what Ann did with the song,” says Cohen-Steinberg, “If you just look at the pictures and what each frog is doing… they have so much whimsy. It’s what was always lacking in those earlier books for children,”
Best of all, the book has Shirley Cohen Steinberg’s name right on the front cover, where it belongs. Frogs—and Shirley’s attribution—will now be everywhere.
Find out more about Frogs in the Bed: My Passover Seder at behrmanhouse.com/frogs.
