Frog and Toad All Year

One of four Frog and Toad story collections from Arnold Lobel - companion volumes include Frog and Toad Are Friends, Frog and Toad Together and Days with Frog and Toad - this charming beginning reader was (along with the other three books) a girlhood favorite of mine, and when I return to the world of those two amphibian friends, as an adult, it is with the happy feeling of coming home. In five brief selections, we see Frog dragging a very reluctant Toad out of the house one snowy Winter day, to go sledding (Down the Hill); we listen to the tale of Frog's childhood search for Spring, when he was "not much bigger than a pollywog" (The Corner); and we accompany Toad as he sets out on an ill-fated journey to provide his friend with a show more treat, one hot summer day (Ice Cream). The Surprise, set in October, as the leaves are falling, sees each of the two friends performing a kind deed for the other; while Christmas Eve brings the collection full-circle, with a worried Toad imagining that Frog has experienced some mishap in the snow, on his way to their holiday celebration.

These Frog and Toad stories have such charm! I am always won over by Lobel's understated sense of humor, and by his sensitive appreciation for the complexities of friendship between two very different characters. It doesn't hurt that his artwork is so very appealing, with its simple lines and colors, and drolly expressive faces, either! I was particularly struck, during this latest reread, by the similarities between Down the Hill, which sees a grumpy Toad returning home to his warm bed, and The Cookies (found in Frog and Toad Together), in which he grouchily returns home to bake a cake! Christmas Eve also stood out to me, with Toad's determination (even if occasioned by some rather silly worries) to rescue his friend. All in all, a wonderful book for beginning readers, one I recommend to little frogs and toads everywhere! show less

I ordered a bunch of fantasy and thrillers from an online used book source and this was stuck in my recent order. I had to laugh at getting an "I can read" book right after reading book 100 for the year. It was like receiving some weird little trophy. I figured I might as well read it before donating to the little free library. I'm glad I did. It made me laugh more than some of the adult 'humor' books I've read lately. I would have enjoyed this as kid learning to read. The illustrations are really nice too.

Friendship is the main theme in Frog and Toad All Year, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. Specifically, the book centers on the friendship between Frog and Toad during different times of the year. In the last story, Toad is worried about Frog and plans to go look for him in the snow, saying, “Frog, do not worry… I am coming to help you” (Lobel). In the end, Toad discovers that Frog was just eight because he was wrapping his Christmas present for Toad. Even though Frog wasn’t actually in any danger, Toad’s friendship and love for Frog made him go and help his best friend. I gave it three stars because it was good but not my favorite.

Bought to give to my granddaughters and so, of course, had to read it before giving.

I remember liking Frog & Toad (Are Friends) better. This one seemed more anxiety-ridden than my recollection of the other, back from when my own children were small. But maybe this one would help a child with their own anxieties?

Toad and Frog are classics. You can't go wrong. Toad cracks me up! He is so strong willed and grumpy, yet he truly loves his friend Frog. My favorite is when they go sledding and Toad really does not want to go and some how also misses the point that he slid down the hill alone and goes home to bed instead. Frog and Toad, like Toot and Puddle, show kids that they don't have to be the same to be best friends.

This is truly a beginning, chapter book. It has a few words and big lines for those that are past Dick and Jane, but not quite to Mary Pope Osborne. Frog and Toad have lasted for decades for a reason. They’re classics. Their stories are about friendships and hope in sunny days. The book I was reading is older than I am, and yet it still has steam power in today’s very full book globe. I love Frog and Toad and kids will continue to love frog and toad well into the future.

Frog and Toad Are Friends was the title I remembered from childhood (and, let's face it, basically the core message of the series), but it turns out this is the one I remembered most of the images from: toad covered in chocolate ice cream with cone horns on his head, Frog falling off the sled and Toad king-of-the-worlding down the hill till a cruel crow lets him know he's alone, causing him to crash immediately and spectacularly; Frog and Toad out hunting for Spring. It's nice.