Frog and Toad Together (I Can Read Book 2) (original 1971; edition 1979)

This book could be used for students to compare and contrast frogs and toads in a venn diagram. Also teaches the theme of friendship.

This is a fun series of books that are good to help with comprehension skills. ( )

The second of Arnold Lobel's four Frog and Toad story collections for beginning readers - the first being the Caldecott Honor Book Frog and Toad Are Friends, and the third and fourth being Frog and Toad All Year and Days with Frog and Toad - this delightful little volume, together with its three companions, was one of my reading staples, as a young girl. Like all the Frog and Toad books, it contains five brief tales, each of which highlights some important characteristic of one or both of its amphibian heroes, and each of which benefits from Lobel's uniquely understated sense of humor, compassionate eye for the (very human) foibles of his subjects, and appealing artwork.

In A List, we see the dangers of becoming too inflexible about our plans and routines, when Toad makes a list of things to do one day, and then, finding himself deprived of that list by the wind, refuses to do anything at all! The Garden follows Toad as, determined to have a beautiful garden like Frog, he impatiently waits for his seeds to grow, trying everything he can, from playing his violin to haranguing them, to hurry their germination along. Cookies offers a hilarious examination of will power and indulgence, as Frog and Toad discuss the necessity of putting away the cookies they are enjoying, all while they continue to eat. The 'successful' solution supplied by Frog ends up a temporary measure, at best! Inspired by the fairy-tales they have been reading, Frog and Toad set out to explore in Dragons and Giants, encountering a number of terrifying dangers - everything from snakes to avalanches - and insisting (even as they flee and hide) that they are not afraid. Finally, Toad's fantasies of being the best (and of showing up his friend) lead to unexpected - but thankfully unreal - results in The Dream.

As always, when rereading one of these classics of beginning-reader literature, I am struck by the immense authorial skill it takes to accomplish so much - to communicate such subtle nuances of emotion; to explore, both humorously and compassionately, the vagaries of personality, and of human (I mean amphibian!) friendship - with such a limited vocabulary. It's simply astonishing! Unlike the earlier Frog and Toad book, which won a Caldecott Honor for its artwork, Frog and Toad Together was awarded a Newbery Honor for its text - one of the few early readers that can boast that distinction - and it not difficult to see why! Of course, the artwork is also immensely appealing (as is always the case with Lobel), making this an ideal title for young children just getting going with independent reading. Highly recommended, to all young frog and toads (I was, and still am more of a Toad than a Frog) looking for good books! ( )

Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years. ( )

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