Frog and Toad are
Friends, by Arthur Lobel
Just about every couple I know consists of a Frog and a Toad,
two seeming polar opposites whose personalities complement one
another perfectly. In my case, Ash is Frog (the laid-back
optimist). And I am definitely Toad (the stubborn worrywart). Regardless of which character you best identify with,
you’re a cold person indeed if you’re not at least a
little moved by Frog and Toad’s amazing relationship. As
different as they are, Frog loves Toad and Toad loves Frog,
quirks and flaws and all -- they’re constantly there for one
another, through exciting adventures as well as the boring,
day-to-day stuff. Which is pretty much what love and friendship
are all about, right? And as my brother’s girlfriend, another
kiddie lit admirer, remarked about Arthur Lobel after re-reading
the Frog and Toad books as a grown-up, "How does he write
so well using so few words?" Damned if I know, but
it’s truly amazing.
o o o o o
Want more kiddie lit
talk? Overheard on the boards...
"I won a lot of 10 of [the Encyclopedia Brown
books] on ebay. I forgot how good they
are!" —squirelly
"I absolutely love Winnie The Pooh. When I was in
Austria, I bought a bunch of them in German....its fun to read
them out loud (still trying to practice my German and not sprain
my tongue)." —chitowngirl
"The thing that used to excite me the most when I worked
in the grown-up books division of Penguin Books was being able
to find out from my friends in the kiddie lit department when
authors like Lloyd Alexander or Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith ... were coming in to sign books. (Lloyd
Alexander, by the way, is the cutest little old man you've ever
seen. V. dignified and looks just as I would imagine a king in
one of his stories would.)" —nita
Yeah, you
know you love the kiddie books too ... jump over to the boards
and talk! o |
. |
More kiddie
lit faves …
Wacky,
wonderful, funny stuff:
Lewis Carroll, Alice
in Wonderland
Norton Juster, The
Phantom Tollbooth
John Scieszka + Lane
Smith, The Stinky Cheese
Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales
Just about anything by
Dr. Seuss
Pretty
pictures:
Janell Cannon, Verdi,
Stellaluna
David Kirk, Miss
Spider series
Peter Sís, The
Three Golden Keys
Maurice Sendak,
Where the Wild Things Are
Just about anything by Chris
Van Allsberg
Magic and adventure and mystery, oh my!:
Roald Dahl,
Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, James and the
Giant Peach
E.L. Konigsberg, From
the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Madeleine L’Engle, Wrinkle
in Time Trilogy
J.K. Rowling,
Harry Potter series
Warm and fuzzy tales:
Frances Hodgson Burnett,
The Secret Garden
Margery Williams Bianco,
The Velveteen Rabbit
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince
Shel Silverstein,
The Giving Tree
E.B. White,
Charlotte’s Web
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