''Frog and Toad'' is a series of easy-reader

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

, written and illustrated by

Arnold Lobel Arnold Stark Lobel (May 22, 1933 – December 4, 1987) was an American author of children's books, including the ''Frog and Toad'' series and '' Mouse Soup''. He wrote and illustrated these picture books as well as '' Fables'', a 1981 Caldecott M ...

. Each book contains five simple, often humorous, sometimes poignant, short stories chronicling the exploits of an anthropomorphic

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

and

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

, named Frog and Toad respectively. The situations in which they find themselves are a cross between the human and animal worlds. Some of their adventures include attempting to fly a

kite A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...

, cleaning Toad's dirty house, and finding out different reasons for isolation. Frog is taller with a green shade, and is more cheery and relaxed than Toad; Toad is shorter and stout with a brown shade, and while just as caring and friendly as Frog, is also the more serious and uptight of the duo.

Origins

When Lobel was sick and out of school for much of second grade, he kept himself busy by drawing. He used his animal drawings as a way of coping with the social insecurity of his return and to make friends. His books about animal friends, such as Frog and Toad, were drawn from these experiences. Lobel himself wrote, "Frog and Toad are really two aspects of myself." In ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', his daughter Adrianne Lobel suggested "that there’s another dimension to the series’s sustained popularity. Frog and Toad are 'of the same sex, and they love each other'," and that the series "really was the beginning of him

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

Books

*''

Frog and Toad Are Friends ''Frog and Toad Are Friends'' is an American children's picture book, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel and published by Harper & Row in 1970. It inaugurated the Frog and Toad series, whose four books each comprises five easy-to-read short ...

'' (1970), *'' Frog and Toad Together'' (1972), *''

Frog and Toad All Year ''Frog and Toad All Year'' is an American picture book written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, published by Harper & Row in 1976. It is the third book in the Frog and Toad series, whose four books completed by Lobel each comprises five easy-to ...

'' (1976), *''Days with Frog and Toad'' (1979),

Omnibus edition An omnibus edition or omnibus is a creative work containing one or more works by the same or, more rarely, different authors. Commonly two or more components have been previously published as books but a collection of shorter works, or shorter wor ...
s

*''The Frog and Toad Treasury'' (1996),
includes ''Frog and Toad are Friends'', ''Frog and Toad Together'', and ''Frog and Toad All Year'' *''Adventures of Frog and Toad'' (2005),
includes ''Frog and Toad are Friends'', ''Frog and Toad Together'', and ''Days with Frog and Toad'' * ''Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury'' (2013),
includes all four original books

Later releases

In 2008, three of Arnold Lobel's uncolored, unpublished ''Frog and Toad'' books were discovered in an estate sale. They were consolidated into two books and colored by Lobel's daughter Adrianne Lobel. They are written, illustrated, and delivered in a manner different from the original four books. *''The Frogs and Toads All Sang'' (2009), color by Adrianne Lobel, *''Odd Owls and Stout Pigs: A Book of Nonsense'' (2009), color by Adrianne Lobel,

Reception

''Frog and Toad'' is valued by experts in children's literature for its portrayal of the value of friendship. ''Frog and Toad are Friends'' was a Caldecott Honor Book, or runner-up for the annual

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

(ALA) Caldecott Medal, which recognizes children's picture book illustration. In 2012, it was ranked number 15 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

''. ''Frog and Toad Together'' was a Newbery Honor Book, which recognizes children's literature. ''Frog and Toad All Year'' won a

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

in 1977 – one of five, at a time when books for young people was the only award category. The awards recognize "media that 'affirm the highest values of the human spirit' ... Award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others."

Adaptations

In the 1980s, '' Churchill Films'' produced 18-minute and 30-minute adaptations of the first two books using

clay animation Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay. Tra ...

. Both films were directed by John Clark Matthews, credited also as theme music composer and one principal animator. Frog and Toad were voiced by

Will Ryan William Frank Ryan (May 21, 1949 – November 19, 2021) was an American voice actor, musician and singer. He provided the voice of Petrie in the 1988 animated film ''The Land Before Time''. He was also known for his voice work as Eugene Meltsner ...

and Hal Smith respectively."Frog and Toad Are Friends (1985)"

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

(IMDb.com). Retrieved 2015-09-19."Frog and Toad Together (1987)"
IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-19. They were narrated by Lobel. ''Frog and Toad Are Friends'' was released on May 23, 1985; ''Frog and Toad Together'' on September 3, 1987. They were distributed to the home market only (

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

). The ''Frog and Toad'' books inspired a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

, '' A Year with Frog and Toad''. The musical was commissioned by Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, played off-Broadway, and ran briefly on Broadway in 2003. It was nominated for three

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s. Prior to this, the books had inspired a non-musical play, "Frog and Toad (Forever)" written by Y York, and performed at Seattle Children's Theatre in 1998 and First Stage Milwaukee in 1999.

References

{{reflist, 30em , refs= "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present"

Association for Library Service to Children The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association, and it is the world's largest organization dedicated to library service to children. Its members are concerned with creating a better future ...

(ALSC). American Library Association (ALA.org). Retrieved 2015-09-18. "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present"
ALSC. ALA. Retrieved 2015-09-18. Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel"
(starred review). ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

''. August 1, 1970. Retrieved 2015-09-19. "Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel"
''Kirkus Reviews''. April 1, 1972. Retrieved 2015-09-19. "Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel by Arnold Lobel"
''Kirkus Reviews''. April 1, 1976. Retrieved 2015-09-19. "Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel by Arnold Lobel"
''Kirkus Reviews''. October 1, 1979. Retrieved 2015-09-19.

External links

in ''

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne (Graduate Library School, University of Chicago).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. Ch ...

''
"Chance Find Leads to New Lobel Picture Books"
Sue Corbett, ''Publishers Weekly'', May 28, 2009
YouTube video from HarperCollins
– Adrianne Lobel describes how her father's handmade books were discovered and how she colored them 1985 films 1985 animated films 1980s stop-motion animated films Clay animation films Children's fiction books Series of children's books Literary duos Animated duos Books about frogs Children's books about friendship Films about frogs Animated films about reptiles and amphibians Animated films about friendship Picture books by Arnold Lobel Literary characters introduced in 1970 Film characters introduced in 1985