Book post: Frog and Toad are Friends

Book cover from HarperCollins

Lobel, A. (1970). Frog and Toad are friends. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

*Winner of a 1971 Caldecott Honor*

This series of stories revolves around the lives of two loyal friends, a laidback frog and an uptight toad.  It contains five stories that introduce the reader to these characters who care greatly for each other. As an I Can Read title, this book is great for young readers because it has short stories (less than 15 pages each) with short words. Because of these features, it can be encouraging for new readers who will feel accomplishment at being able to read a whole story by themselves. I remember this being a favorite book when I was just learning to read for this reason. For early elementary teachers, it would make a great practice book for new readers to judge their reading progress. I like that the book's illustrations are colored simply, in greens, browns, and grays, but also have interesting textures and values within the limited color palette.