A story about a young Polliwog (small frog) who decides its better to run away from home rather than sticking around to face the consequences (the disappointment of his peers) of a simple and harmless mistake. Erby, the main character of this tale, convinces himself to leave his isolated little village and travel to the cold 'north'. There he expects to find a better life, which to Erby is one without the burden of working in the village's garden, and most importantly, a life where he would never have to rake again. His neighbor, an elder Polliwog named Mr. Bullock, bravely accepts the call to go searching for the missing Erby. Such exciting events are the first for these humble, biscuit loving, hard working, and deeply devoted creatures. The mystery of where Erby disappeared to unfolds against the backdrop of a terrifying presence known to the Polliwogs as the dreaded Kroftymoft, a giant purple beast that is believed to lurk in the forest and caves surrounding their little village. Narrated in rhyme, the reader is taken along as the adventure unfolds through the solving of various mysteries and the meeting of different personalities.

One might say this is a story about consequences, decisions, assumptions, and understanding. Erby's Turn to Rake was written by Christopher Epling shortly after he arrived home from a deployment to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. Each illustration is hand drawn using prima-color pencils with no computer generated mediums outside of the layout for pages of the book itself. This, combined with the challenges Epling faced in his own life as he created the work, helped in giving a very personal touch to Erby's Turn to Rake. The development of this book took over three and a half years to complete. Each illustration required a day's worth of attention to finish.