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

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

, written and illustrated by American author

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 Me ...

. 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 semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

and

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) 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. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

. 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 flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

, cleaning Toad's dirty house, and finding out different reasons for isolation.

Characters

* Frog: Frog is taller with a green shade, and is more cheery and relaxed than Toad. * 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 magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', his daughter

Adrianne Lobel Adrianne Lobel is an American scenic designer and producer for theatre, opera, and dance known for her "very daring and creative sets."Greenspon, Jaq. "Acting" (1996). McGraw-Hill Professional. , p. 82. Life and career Lobel was born and raised i ...

suggested "that there’s another dimension to the series’ sustained popularity. Frog and Toad are of the same sex, and they love each other." Lobel was a closeted gay man for much of his life; he came out to family four years following the publication of the first book of the series.

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 comprise five easy-to-read short st ...

'' (1970), *''

Frog and Toad Together ''Frog and Toad Together'' is an American fantasy adventure children's picture book, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel and published by Harper & Row in 1972. It is the second book in the ''Frog and Toad'' series. Like each of the other book ...

'' (1972), *'' Frog and Toad All Year'' (1976), *'' Days With Frog and Toad'' (1979),

Omnibus edition An omnibus edition or omnibus is a book containing multiple creative works by the same or, more rarely, different authors. Commonly two or more of the works have been previously published as books, but a collection of shorter works, or shorter w ...
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 * ''Frog and Toad: The Complete Collection'' (2016)
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

. 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 The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

, 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. History 19th century ...

(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, wi ...

''. ''Frog and Toad Together'' was a

Newbery Honor Book The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

, 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." In 2023, ''Frog and Toad'' was repopularized as part of the

cottagecore Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic and subculture concerned with an idealised rural lifestyle. The aesthetic centres on traditional and vernacular architecture, clothing, interior design and crafts. Based primarily on the visual and material c ...

trend.

Adaptations

In the 1980s, ''

Churchill Films Churchill Films aka Churchill Media was a producer and distributor of direct-to-video/educational films founded by Robert Churchill (1911-1997) and Sy Wexler (1916–2005) in 1948 as Churchill Wexler Film Productions. They have produced '' The Mou ...

'' produced 18-minute adaptations of the first two books using

clay animation Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or 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 cl ...

. 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 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 in t ...

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

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

(IMDb.com). Retrieved 2015-09-19."Frog and Toad Together (1987)"
IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-19. Only ''Frog and Toad Are Friends'' was 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, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

). 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 Stre ...

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 Character (arts), charac ...

, ''

A Year with Frog and Toad ''A Year With Frog and Toad'' is a musical written by brothers Robert (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), based on the ''Frog and Toad'' children's stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The musical follows the woodland advent ...

''. 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 a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

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. An animated series based on the books premiered on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

on April 28, 2023. It stars

Nat Faxon Nathaniel Wales Faxon (born October 11, 1975) is an American actor and comedian. A frequent presence on comedic films and TV series, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing ''The Descendants'' (2011). He starred in the ...

as Frog and

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as Toad. It also features

Ron Funches Ronald Kyle Funches (born March 12, 1983) is an American comedian and actor. Born in California, Funches spent his early life in Chicago before relocating to Salem, Oregon, as a teenager. He began his comedy career in Portland, Oregon, at age 23. ...

Fortune Feimster Emily Fortune Feimster (; born July 1, 1980) is an American writer, comedian, and actress. Having made her television debut on NBC's ''Last Comic Standing'' in 2010, she starred as Colette on ''The Mindy Project'' (2015–2017). In July 2019, s ...

Yvette Nicole Brown Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', as Dani in the 2015 reboot of '' The Odd Couple'' on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom '' The Mayor''. Br ...

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician. In her Stand-up comedy, stand-up routines she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She starred in the Ame ...

Cole Escola Cole Escola (born November 25, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, singer, and playwright. They are best known for their cabaret work and appearances on the television series '' Difficult People'' (2015–2017), '' At Home with Amy Sedaris'' ...

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...

and

Aparna Nancherla Aparna Nancherla (born ) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has had recurring roles on television series including ''BoJack Horseman'' and ''Corporate'' and has written for ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' and '' Totally Biased w ...

. A Christmas special was released on December 1, 2023. The second season was released on May 31, 2024.

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. ALSC has over 4,000 members, including children, experts in children's literature, publishers, faculty members, and other adults. The Associa ...

(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'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

''. 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 ( University of Chicago Graduate Library School).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. C ...

''
"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 short films 1980s stop-motion animated films Claymation films Children's fiction books Series of children's books Literary duos Animated duos Books about frogs Children's books about friendship Animated films about frogs Animated films about friendship Picture books by Arnold Lobel Literary characters introduced in 1970 Film characters introduced in 1985 Anthropomorphic frogs Fictional frogs