Frog and Toad All Year
{{short description|1976 children's book by Arnold Lobel}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Frog and Toad All Year
| image = File:Frog and Toad All Year.jpg
| caption = First edition
| author = Arnold Lobel
| illustrator = Lobel
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| series = Frog and Toad
| genre = Children's picture book, short story collection
| publisher = Harper & Row (I Can Read)
| media_type =
| pages = 64 pp.
| isbn = 9780060239503
| oclc = 873644795
| dewey =
| congress = PZ7.L7795 Fq3{{cite book|url=http://lccn.loc.gov/76002343 |title=Library of Congress LCCN Permalink for 76002343 |series=An I can read book |year=1976 |publisher=Lccn.loc.gov |isbn=9780060239503 |accessdate=2015-09-19}}
| preceded_by = Frog and Toad Together
| followed_by = Days With Frog and Toad
}}
Frog and Toad All Year is an American picture book written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, published by Harper & Row in 1976. It is the third book in the Frog and Toad series, whose four books completed by Lobel each comprises five easy-to-read short stories.
Characters
The two friends, Frog and Toad, are portrayed by the author with human-like personalities and amphibian appearance. The situations in which they find themselves are a cross between the human and animal worlds.{{cite book|author1=Julia Mickenberg|author2=Lynne Vallone|title=The Oxford Handbook of Children's Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=terten7vpEcC&pg=PA76|date=3 February 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-970191-9|pages=76–}} Along with Lobel's other Frog and Toad books, Frog and Toad All Year is valued by experts in children's literature for its portrayal of the value of friendship.{{cite book|author=Anita Silvey|title=The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eML3-EFrtNgC&pg=PA270|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-547-34889-4|pages=270–}}
Summary
{{Expand section|Each story within the book should have its own summary|date=November 2022}}
Friends Frog and Toad, who have quite different personalities,{{cite web|url=http://www.eyelevelbooks.com/2010/01/28/book-review-the-frog-and-toad-serie/ |title=Book Review: The Frog and Toad Series |publisher=Eye Level Books |date=2010-01-28 |accessdate=2015-09-19}} have adventures through the seasons...
= Down the Hill =
Frog invites Toad to go sledding with him, though Toad does not want to, but is forced to against his will. The trip doesn't go as planned after Frog falls off the sled as it goes out of control. Afterwards, Toad opts to continue spending Winter indoors.
= The Corner =
One rainy day in Frog's house, Frog recalls how he searched for Spring around various corners when he was very young, but found nothing. He eventually found it around the corner of his house. This prompts him and Toad to do another search around Frog's house after the rain clears.
= Ice Cream =
Toad finds himself in a sticky situation when he buys ice cream cones for himself and Frog, one hot Summer day. The ice cream pours over him, making him look like a monster the scares away nearby animals. He eventually falls into the lake, washing the ice cream. He and Frog buy new cones soon afterwards.
= The Surprise =
Frog and Toad secretly sneak out to rake the other's leaves. However, an Autumn wind gives the two an even bigger surprise.
= Christmas Eve =
Toad becomes concerned when Frog is late for their Christmas celebration, and considers some horrific possibilities, such as thinking that Frog either fell into a hole, got lost in the woods, or was attacked and possibly eaten by a big animal with sharp teeth. Deciding to help, he finds a rope to get Frog out of the hole, a lantern to help Frog find his way out of the woods, and a frying pan to hit the big animal with to make its teeth fall out. Once outside, he finds Frog alive and well. It turns out Frog had simply taken some extra time to wrap a Christmas present. Once inside, Toad opens his present, which is a new clock to replace his broken old one. The two then spend the holiday together.{{cite web|url=http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/frog-and-toad-all-year |title=Frog and Toad All Year Book Review |publisher=Commonsensemedia.org |date= |accessdate=2015-09-19}}
Adaptations
The book has been adapted as a musical, written by Willie and Robert Reale and entitled A Year with Frog and Toad, opened on Broadway, and was also performed by the Second Story Repertory,{{cite web|url=http://www.seattleschild.com/article/spend-an-afternoon-with-beloved-frog-and-toad|title=Spend an Afternoon with Beloved Frog and Toad|last=Reed|first=Wendy|date=May 10, 2011|website=Seattle Child|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830233618/http://www.seattleschild.com/article/spend-an-afternoon-with-beloved-frog-and-toad|archivedate=August 30, 2012|accessdate=November 14, 2013}} by Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, and by the Chicago Children's Theatre, among others.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/10/13/evergreen-friendship-leaps-from-the-stage/ |title=THEATER REVIEW: A Year with Frog and Toad, a musical from Chicago Children's Theatre (3 stars) - tribunedigital-chicagotribune |publisher=Articles.chicagotribune.com |date=2013-10-13 |access-date=2015-09-19}} The stories have also been produced as an audio book.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}
Reception
Frog and Toad All Year won a Christopher Award in 1977.{{cite web|url=http://www.bookhelpweb.com/awards/christopher/1970.htm |accessdate=February 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |title= Christopher Awards - 1970-1979 |work=Book Help Web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206205139/http://www.bookhelpweb.com/awards/christopher/1970.htm |archivedate=February 6, 2007 }}{{cite book|author1=Bernice E. Cullinan|author2=Diane Goetz Person|title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LyutQg6mroC&pg=PA495|year=2005|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-8264-1778-7|pages=495–}} It is listed in the New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children.{{cite book|author=Eden Ross Lipson|title=The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CTjsAiMaFEsC&pg=PA400|year=2000|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=978-0-8129-3018-4|pages=400–}}
Kirkus Reviews wrote, "We miss some of the resonant psychological heft of this pair's previous experiences, but Frog and Toad can still transform the most ordinary seasonal activities into celebrations."{{cite web|last=Lobel |first=Arnold |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/arnold-lobel/frog-and-toad-all-year |title=FROG AND TOAD ALL YEAR by Arnold Lobel |publisher=Kirkus Reviews |date=1976-08-01 |accessdate=2015-09-19}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal |Children's literature}}
- {{isfdb name|176002|Arnold Lobel}}
Category:1976 children's books
Category:American picture books
Category:Children's books about friendship