This sweetly silly picture book is a treasure from the past. Caldecott Medalist Arnold Lobel died in 1987, but he left behind a manuscript of rollicking, rhyming stories about frogs and toads. Lobel's daughter Adrianne has lovingly edited this entertaining collection, presenting it as a uplifting posthumous gift from her beloved father.
Publishers Weekly
Originally created by the late Lobel as a handmade book for a fellow author, these poems and pencil sketches (skillfully given washes of color by his daughter, Adrianne) are the progenitors of Lobel's classic Frog and Toad series. But even kids who haven't spent much time with those amphibious friends will find plenty to enjoy. As befits something made for a friend, the drawings of genteelly domesticated amphibians large and small bring to mind the spontaneity, intimacy and exuberance of the sketchpad; even the very young should sense that Lobel was a man who was delighted to see his imagination take shape on paper. He versifies expertly and with gentleness: a green frog's virtuosity on the violin doesn't keep him from yearning, "And yet.../ I'd rather play/ The clarinet." Polliwogs, their bodies composed almost entirely of broad, mischievous grins, revel in a school where "all we do is wiggle./ We do not read.../ We do not write.../ We only squirm and giggle." A lovely addition to anyone's Lobel bookshelf. Ages 4-7. (June)
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—Mischievous, warmhearted, silly, and touching, this short collection of stories in rhyme trips easily off the tongue in true Arnold Lobel style. In playful fashion, they feature Miss Frog baking pies and sugar buns, two lazy toads contemplating the night, a bright green frog playing the violin, a school for squirming polliwogs, and an adventurous jumper—often with a surprise-ending twist. A poem about a frog party, for example, concludes with: "They danced in the meadow/They danced in the street/They danced in the lemonade/Just to cool their feet." Adrianne Lobel, a set designer by profession, catches just the right mood in applying frothy, airy colors to her father's line art. A short introduction reveals how the collection came to be some 20 years after Lobel's death. This delectable combination of word and image is a treat not to be missed.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
