Frog and Toad

Frog and Toad

Front cover of the first book with seal affixed: Caldecott Honor Book (1971)
Author	Arnold Lobel
Illustrator	Lobel
Country	United States
Genre	Children's picture book, short story collection
Publisher	Harper & Row
Published	1970–1979
No. of books	4

Frog and Toad are the main characters in a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (who also wrote Mouse Soup).

Each book contains five simple, often humorous, sometimes poignant, short stories chronicling the exploits of a frog and his friend, a toad. Some of their adventures include: attempting to fly a kite, cleaning Toad's dirty house as opposed to waiting until "Tomorrow", and figuring out the ethics of being "Alone".

Frog is taller, with a green shade, and is more friendly and relaxed than Toad; Toad is shorter and stout, with a brown shade and also the more serious and uptight of the duo.

In 2008, three of Arnold Lobel's uncolored, unpublished Frog and Toad books were discovered in an estate sale.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.

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."

Barnes & Noble published a hardcover omnibus edition of three books in 2008: Adventures of Frog and Toad, comprising the complete text and illustrations of Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, and Days with Frog and Toad.

Two books that contain references to Frog and Toad were completed by Lobel's daughter Adrianne from uncolored material for three books. They are written, illustrated, and delivered in a manner different from the four Frog and Toad books.

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. In 2012 it was ranked number 15 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by School Library Journal.

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