The Frogs and Toads All Sang

By: Arnold Lobel 
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Publication Date: May 2009 
ISBN: 978-0061800221 
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler 
Review Date: November 2009

Frog and Toad were a delightful duo that many children first learned about in the "I Can Read" series of books. You may have learned about being a best friend through these books all the while laughing at their antics. These classic books are still around, but now the discovery of a "lost" book will thrill you. No, we won't see a full story, but rather some wonderful, whimsical rhyming stories.

A Toad Was Feeling...

A toad was feeling 
Sad and grumpy 
Because his skin 
was rough and lumpy. 
"My skin is bad," 
Said he. "I'll hide it.' 
He bought a coat 
and jumped inside it. 
"And now," he said, 
"I do not worry...
Outside I'm nicely 
Soft and furry." 

I love these little miniature portraits of frogs and toads and think they would nicely compliment the original Frog and Toad books. In the front of the book Adriane Lobel discusses how these little "stories" were lost and rediscovered. She also briefly discusses her father, Arnold Lobel, and how she had to "shake [herself] of fear and to produce watercolors with the same freedom and effortlessness that approached" that her father used to create. I think she did a marvelous job.

Quill says: This book is worth adding to your timeless collection of Lobel books!