Frog and Toad Are Friends facts for kids
Front cover with Caldecott Honor seal
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| Author | Arnold Lobel |
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| Illustrator | Lobel |
| Country | United States |
| Series | Frog and Toad |
| Genre | Children's picture book, short story collection |
| Publisher | Harper & Row (I Can Read) |
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Publication date
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1970 |
| Pages | 64 |
| ISBN | 9780060239572 |
| OCLC | 97746 |
| LC Class | PZ7.L7795 Fr |
| Followed by | Frog and Toad Together |
Frog and Toad Are Friends is a popular children's picture book from America. It was written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel and first published in 1970. This book introduced the famous Frog and Toad series.
The series has four books, each with five easy-to-read short stories. Frog and Toad Are Friends was recognized as a Caldecott Honor Book. This means it was a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott Medal is a special award for the best illustrations in American children's picture books each year.
Contents
Adventures of Frog and Toad
The book tells five short stories about the friendship between Frog and Toad. Each story shows how they help each other and have fun together.
Springtime Fun
One sunny spring morning in April, Frog goes to Toad's house. He wants Toad to wake up, but Toad loves to sleep! Toad has been asleep since November. He tells Frog to come back and wake him in May. Frog doesn't want to be lonely for so long. He sees that Toad's calendar is still on November. Frog quickly tears off the pages until he reaches April. He even tears off the April page! This finally gets Toad out of bed. They then go outside to enjoy the beautiful spring day together.
A Story for a Friend
One summer day, Toad notices that Frog is not feeling well. He helps Frog get into bed. Frog asks Toad to tell him a story. Toad tries hard to think of a story. He walks around, stands on his head, and even pours water on his head. Nothing helps him think of a good story.
But then, Frog starts to feel better. He tells Toad to get into bed. Frog then tells Toad a story about everything Toad did for him that day. By the time Frog finishes his story, Toad is already fast asleep.
The Lost Button Mystery
After a long walk, Frog and Toad return home. Toad suddenly sees that a button has fallen off his jacket. They decide to go back and look for it. They search in the meadow, the woods, and by the stream.
Frog finds a button, then a sparrow finds one, and even a raccoon finds a button. But none of them are Toad's missing button. His button was big, round, thick, white, and had four holes. Toad gets very upset because they can't find it. He runs home in a huff. When he gets home, he finds his missing button! It had fallen off before they even started their walk.
To make up for the wild goose chase, Toad does something special. He sews his button back on his jacket. He also sews on all the other buttons they found. The next day, he gives the jacket to Frog as a gift.
A Swim in the Stream
Frog and Toad go to the stream for a swim. Frog likes to swim without clothes. Toad prefers to wear a bathing suit. He tells Frog not to look at him when he's out of the water. He thinks he looks funny in his bathing suit.
While they are swimming, a turtle comes by. Toad asks Frog to tell the turtle to leave. Frog tries to explain, but more animals arrive. Lizards, a grass snake, dragonflies, and a field mouse all want to see Toad's bathing suit. Toad decides to stay in the water until everyone leaves. But he starts to sneeze and has to come out. As soon as he gets out, everyone, including Frog, laughs at him!
The Special Letter
Frog visits Toad's house and finds him looking sad. Toad explains that he is sad because he never gets any mail. He always waits, but no letters ever come for him.
Feeling bad for his friend, Frog goes home. He writes a letter just for Toad. Then, he asks a snail to deliver the letter to Toad's house. Frog goes back to Toad's house. He tries to convince Toad to wait for the mail again. Frog ends up waiting for it himself. When Toad asks why, Frog tells him about the letter. He describes what he wrote in it. This makes Toad happy enough to wait for the letter. It takes four days for the snail to reach Toad's house. But he finally arrives with Toad's letter. Toad is very happy that the wait was worth it!
