Frog and Toad: Our First Laugh-Out-Loud Book
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Unfortunately at the time of writing, some of the books below are not listed on bookshop.org, so I have included the Amazon links. You can also try Abebooks for second hand books too.
Getting a reluctant reader to not only enjoy reading a book, but to actually laugh out loud at the story is a MASSIVE milestone in my eyes. I had not read the book before, but Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel is a winner in this house. My son was reading it aloud to me found himself laughing from story to story. They are award-winning books and well respected in the world of children’s literature.
Frog and Toad are two delightful characters friends who get into different mishaps in simple, short stories for early readers. There are four different books in the series or you can purchase the complete collection in one volume. They could also be read aloud to younger children. These books came as part of a homeschool curriculum we follow, and I hadn’t heard about them before, except from another homeschool family. The illustrations, also by Lobel, kept my son engaged as he kept looking to see what was going to happen next.
Since discovering Frog and Toad, we have also enjoyed other books by Arnold Lobel, including Mouse Tales and Owl At Home. Unsurprisingly, these books also resulted in lots of laughter! It has been a real joy to see my reluctant reader enjoy these stories. Also, as they are quite short, there is a sense of real achievement and satisfaction in completing the stories one after another.
Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, wrote the forward to the Frog and Toad collection and on the front cover of one of ours, she writes that Arnold Lobel is her hero. From one well respected author to another, this is high praise indeed. It’s well worth reading them to get a feel for Julia Donaldson’s own work. And it’s a reminder for writers that we glean inspiration from one another.
I highly recommend these joyful, humorous little stories. After a quick search, there are also animated series based on the books available. I haven’t watched them but it could be another way to enjoy these two beloved characters. Go ahead and buy these books for your emerging readers or have a fun read aloud time with the whole family!
