Frog and Toad

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Books by Arnold Lobel

title: "Frog and Toad" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["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", "anthropomorphic-frogs", "fictional-frogs"] description: "Books by Arnold Lobel" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_and_Toad" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Books by Arnold Lobel ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox book series"]

Field	Value
name	Frog and Toad
image	Frog and toad cover.jpg
image_caption	Front cover of the first book with seal affixed: Caldecott Honor Book (1971)
author	Arnold Lobel (also illustrator)
country	United States
genre	Children's picture book, short story collection
publisher	Harper & Row
pub_date	1970–1979
number_of_books	4
::

::callout[type=note] the children's book franchise by Arnold Lobel ::

Frog and Toad is a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by American author Arnold Lobel.

Each book contains five simple, often humorous short stories chronicling the exploits of an anthropomorphic frog and toad. 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, 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, his daughter Adrianne Lobel 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

[[Omnibus edition]]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 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 (ALA) Caldecott Medal, which recognizes children's picture book illustration.

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

Frog and Toad All Year won a Christopher Award 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 trend.

Adaptations

In the 1980s, Churchill Films produced 18-minute adaptations of the first two books using clay animation. 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 and Hal Smith respectively. 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).

In 1996, two of the Frog and Toad books were adapted into audio cassette tapes those being Days With Frog and Toad and Frog and Toad All Year which were both published by Abbey Home Entertainment. Both of the audio cassette tapes were narrated by British actor Peter Sallis.

The Frog and Toad books inspired a Broadway musical, 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 Awards. 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+ on April 28, 2023. It stars Nat Faxon as Frog and Kevin Michael Richardson as Toad. It also features Ron Funches, Fortune Feimster, Yvette Nicole Brown, Margaret Cho, Cole Escola, Tom Kenny and Aparna Nancherla. A Christmas special was released on December 1, 2023. The second season was released on May 31, 2024.

References

(3 February 2011). "The Oxford Handbook of Children's Literature". Oxford University Press.
"Arnold Lobel: Biography". Parents’ Choice.
(31 May 2016). "''Frog and Toad'': An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love.".
(8 June 2009). "Transcript: 'Frog And Toad' Leap Off The Page Again".
Anita Silvey. "The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Bird, Elizabeth. (July 6, 2012). "Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. [[School Library Journal]] (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com).
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070206205139/http://www.bookhelpweb.com/awards/christopher/1970.htm "Christopher Awards 1970–1979"]. Book Help Web (bookhelpweb.com). Archived 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
link. (2015-10-15 . The Christophers (christophers.org). Retrieved 2015-09-19.
Official lists of winners are published online only from 2001.)
Touros, Cyrena. (2023-06-28). "How Frog and Toad became queer anti-capitalist cottagecore icons".
(1999). "The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons". Checkmark Books.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407808 "Frog and Toad Are Friends (1985)"]. [[Internet Movie Database]] (IMDb.com). Retrieved 2015-09-19.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407809 "Frog and Toad Together (1987)"]. IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
"Frog and Toad All Year".
(January 25, 2023). "Apple TV+ Sets 'Frog and Toad' Series, Announces Spring Kids and Family Slate (EXCLUSIVE)".
"Apple TV+ decks the halls with all-new kids and family live-action animated hybrid special, "The Velveteen Rabbit," launching globally November 22".
(May 13, 2024). "Trailer: 'Frog and Toad' Reunite in Season 2 on May 31".

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