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Frog and Toad
By Wauwatosa Public Library
Monday, Mar 3 2008, 11:02 AM
Anita and Arnold Lobel have written and/or illustrated almost 150 children’s books between the two of them. Arnold Lobel, who died in 1987, is best remembered for his charming Frog and Toad books, one of which received a Caldecott Medal Honor and another a Newbery Medal Honor. These early readers were the first of a variety of whimsical, fun-to-read books written by Lobel, followed by Mouse Soup, Owl at Home and Uncle Elephant. In 1981, he won the Caldecott Award for Fables, a book of one page tongue-in-cheek fables. He and his wife collaborated on four books, including On Market Street. This richly patterned alphabet book received several prizes and was designated a Caldecott Medal Honor book.
Anita Lobel’s opulently illustrated picture books have been praised for their originality and inventiveness. Animal Antics: A to Z, Pierrot’s ABC and Alison’s Zinnia show sumptuous landscapes, colorful flowers and cute animals. Anita Lobel’s autobiography, titled No Pretty Pictures, surprised critics and readers. In sharp contrast to her colorful picture books, this memoir of her Jewish childhood during World War II in Poland has no pretty pictures. It has a few black and white family photos and a reproduction of a religious picture given to her by her Catholic nanny, Niania.
The Lobel’s daughter, Adrianne Lobel, developed a family musical based on her father’s books: Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, Frog and Toad All Year and Days With Frog and Toad. “A Year with Frog and Toad – the musical” was nominated for a Tony Award for best musical in 2003. Andrianne Lobel’s husband, Mark Linn-Baker, played the cantankerous toad in the Broadway show, making this musical truly a family production. First Stage Children’s Theater of Milwaukee will present “A Year With Frog and Toad – the musical” in April.
