F seems to have an extreme love for all of her book “collections”. We have several of them – big, heavy books with multiple books inside. She loves to pull these big books off the shelf and say “Let me choose my story”, and then she purses her lips together, and clucks her tongue as she runs her finger down the table of contents as if she could read the titles. I taught her the phrase “Table of Contents” just so I could hear her mutter it under her breath repeatedly as she flips past the title page and onto her page of choice. Harold and the Purple Crayon, Curious George, Amelia Bedelia, the Frances stories, her poetry anthologies, her fairy tale collections. One of E’s favorite collections (and now F’s as well) is the big book of Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. There are three books inside, each with five stories, and I love them as well – I can still remember early reading groups in school with Frog and Toad stories. They are a fairly easy read for new readers, but E still likes to pick the book up and breeze through all the stories.
Do we have a favorite? It would have to be Cookies. Frog and Toad are eating themselves silly and are determined to find a way to stop.eating.cookies. Their various solutions involve boxing up the cookies, tying the box with string, hiding the box on a very tall shelf…but as easily as they rid themselves of temptation they find it still right in front of them. I love their desire to find “willpower”, eventually feeding the remaining cookies to the birds. Toad decides (rightly) that willpower is really for the birds, and heads home to bake a cake. I love a good amphibian with a sweet tooth.
The other day the girls were plowing through a bowl of grapes at a rapid pace. I told them a couple of times that they had eaten enough, but they continued right on at the same speed. Finally E pushed the bowl away and said “What we need is willpower.” To which F promptly added “…said Frog to Toad.”
The Frog and Toad books are great for newish readers and anyone who enjoys a good story about two friends. Oh, and all lovers of Tables of Contents. Especially those.
So tell me, what is your favorite Frog and Toad tale?
My son also loves him some Frog and Toad. We love the one (can’t remember what it’s called – is it “Spring”?) where Frog messes with the calendar to trick Toad into thinking it’s spring. Always has us in stitches.
That’s tied for me with “cookies”. I love that one! I like reading that one around daylight savings time when you have to trick yourself into waking up at a new time. E’s sitting here with me now and says “The Lost Button” is really her favorite one.
Cookies is a good one but I am partial to The List :).
I remember reading Frog and Toad with my dad as a child and love reading them with my kids. I love the story about raking leaves where they each go to the other’s house to rake then the leaves are blown back in their yards by the time they return home. Unrewarded acts of kindness = beautiful lesson.
I also remember and love the raking leaves story. The other Arnold Lobel title that is similar and wonderful is Owl at Home. The combination of witty stories and whimsical drawings make the Lobel books such easy and good choices for my kids!
Yes! The raking – and how perfect for fall, right?