Book 2: Frog And Toad Together

By Arnold Lobel

Summary

This is a book about two friends, Frog and Toad, and their adventures together. Each of the five short stories describe a predicament of some kind. On each page there are illustrations that help the reader visualize the story. In A List, Toad describes what he will do during the day, but when he loses his list, he becomes confused and unable to continue his day's plan. In The Garden, Toad attempts to grow a garden just like Frog's, but has difficulty understanding how. At first, he shouts at his seeds, then he reads a story, he sings, he reads a poem, and he plays music for his garden. Finally, after falling asleep from exhaustion, he is awakened by Frog who shows his friend how the seeds have begun to sprout. In the Cookies, Frog and Toad learn about will power. In their attempts to try not to eat all the cookies that Toad has made, the two friends try different ways to keep their will power strong. Eventually, Frog calls the birds to come and eat them. In Dragons and Giants, the two friends are impressed with a story of bravery that they read together. In order to prove to themselves that they too are brave, they go on an adventure. They are confronted by a snake, experience an avalanche, and a hawk tries to catch them. Each time the friends run away from their situations, they shout, "I am not afraid". In The Dream, Toad's is able to do amazing feats like playing the piano, dancing, and balancing on a high wire. While Toad is at first quite happy with his dream, he becomes worried that Frog seems to be shrinking. When Frog comes by to wake up his friend, Toad is so appreciative of his friend that they eat a big breakfast and spend a long day together.

Impressions

This is a good story for early elementary school children. The artwork is expressive of the story, although a little dark for my tastes. The author, illustrator uses shades of dark greens and browns, that do not really attract the reader. The topics for each short story are interesting for young readers. The underlying themes of friendships and daily adventures can keep a young child interested in the story.  The stories are based on common activities that most children can relate to: making a list, planting seeds, eating cookies, being afraid, and having a dream. Short enough that young readers do not struggle to finish the reading, yet interesting enough for kids to want to read it, it is easy to see why Arnold Lobel's easy readers are considered classic books.  Young readers see familiar themes and gain a feeling of accomplishment in reading a book for the first time. Each story uses emotion that young children can relate to: frustration, worry, determination, and fear. I think this book is a fine first independent reader for a school library.

Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews:  "Five more wise and wonderful stories to reaffirm the happy truth that Frog and Toad Are Friends. Again the lovely illustrations in soft green and brown depict the pair with affectionate humor as Frog and Toad test their will power on a bowl of cookies or their shaky bravery on a snake, or wait with anxious solicitation for Toad's seeds to grow. The first story, which begins with Toad waking up and making a list of "things to do today," sets a mood of anticipation that is never disappointed; the last adds unpretentious depth with Toad's dream of his own acclaimed theatrical performance while his larger friend, seated in the audience, becomes smaller and smaller and finally vanishes altogether. Toad's alarm at this point and his relief on waking up to find that Frog is still there and "his own right size" ends the beautifully handled episode on a note of enlarged affirmation" (April, 1972).

Use in The Library

I would use this book as part of a "friendship" week in the library. Books of varied reading levels about all kinds of friendships, from animals to humans can be put out on display. Students can share a story about what they do for fun with their best friends. The librarian can make little friendship bookmarks to give to students who share their stories. Students can each make up a sentence that defines what a best friend is, and the librarian can help them combine their sentences onto a poster to put on display in the library.

References

Lobel, A. (1971). Frog and Toad Together. New York. Scholastic Inc.

Kirkus Review. (1972, April 1) [Review of the book Frog and Toad together.
     Arnold Lobel].  Retrieved      

     from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/arnold-lobel/frog-and-toad-together/