Frog and Toad are Friends

 
 
Frog and Toad are Friends

by Arthur Lobel
Harper Collins
1970, reprinted 2003
 

 

I read Frog and Toad are Friends as a follow-up to The Wind in the Willows, but aside from having animal protagonists, they're quite different books.

 
Toad is a bit of an introvert. He wants to stay inside, preferably in bed. He's embarrassed for others to see his swimsuit, he gets upset when he loses a button and can't find it.

 
Frog gently encourages his friend to get up and go outside. He gives Toad space to feel negative emotions without being judged for it, but also tries to cheer him up.

 
These stories are sweet and gentle, and very short. Frog and Toad go for a walk, go for a swim, look for a lost button, tell each other stories, wait for the mail.

 
I read recently that Arthur Lobel and several other beloved children's authors were gay, and that this probably informed their writing. These authors told stories about characters who felt different from their peers and struggled with difficult emotions, and told their readers that that was okay. Instead of plots about heterosexual romance, they told stories that celebrated platonic friendship. And in doing so, they told stories that might help future queer kids, but that also spoke to more universal feelings that aren't always represented in other books.