Frog and Toad

In June of 1970, one of the best children’s books about friendship was published, Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Are Friends, a Caldecott Honor book.

Lobel, who studied at Pratt to become an illustrator, made the most important connection of his creative career when he walked into Harper & Row one day to show his portfolio. The young Susan Carr Hirschman immediately recognized Lobel’s talent as an artist and asked him to illustrate one of the I Can Read books that Harper had been developing. Hirschman also quickly sensed that Lobel could both write and illustrate; his first solo I Can Read title, Lucille, appeared in 1964.

To escape the heat of New York City in the summer, the Lobel family, Arnold, his wife Anita, and their two children, vacationed on Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. A city boy, Lobel was terrified by living in the country, where marauding raccoons created noises. When a bat flew into the cabin, Lobel dove under the bed. But for the children, everything seemed pure bliss. Exploring a nearby swamp, they brought home a large slimy frog and two dour and dyspeptic toads.

Back in New York, searching for the subject matter for a new book, Lobel thought back to the summer, now more wonderful in reflection than it had been in experience. He wrote the words, “Frog ran up the path to Toad’s house,” and the story began to pour forth. Lobel was a master at crafting narrative. His handwritten manuscript for Frog and Toad Are Friends, housed in the Kerlan Collection of the University of Minnesota, is remarkably close to the final text and needed only a few changes before it appeared in print.

Known for his close ties to other illustrators such as Maurice Sendak and Jim Marshall, Lobel could write about friendship brilliantly. In five short stories two unlikely companions, a cheerful green frog and a dour brown toad, are bound by friendship and understanding. They experience the simple joys of life: Toad makes Frog a cup of tea when he looks sick; Frog helps Toad hunt for a lost button. With kindness and sensitivity to each other’s needs, they make each other’s lives better and inspire children to think about the needs of their own friends.

So happy birthday Frog and Toad—may you be well and stay with us for at least another four decades.

Here’s a page from Frog and Toad Are Friends: