Frog and Toad: The Philosophy of Simple Living

In this video, I chat about the 1970s children’s book series Frog and Toad—written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel—including its helpful/wholesome themes and why it’s so cozy and memorable.

Sources mentioned:
Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Together as a Primer for Critical Literacy

Project MUSE - An Interview with Arnold Lobel

The Frog and Toad stories of Arnold Lobel: a psychoanalytic perspective

“Frog and Toad”: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love | The New Yorker

0:00 Intro
1:19 Arnold Lobel
6:39 Simple Living
11:32 Storytime with Stef

[roux]

I really appreciate when stories like this are taken seriously and not dismissed as simple nonsense for children. They are worthwhile for all readers. Stories are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten

[thesisypheanjournal]

"They ate wet sandwiches without any tea" is a beautiful line. It underscores that the important thing wasn't the meal; it was that they were sharing it.

[wompwomp]

I know the whole "touch grass" thing has sorta lost meaning with overuse, but I can't put into words how important it is to just connect with nature and get out of your own head...and get away from the echo chambers, get in touch with yourself, feel small, etc.

[phillipmargrave]

I felt so bad for Toad in his bathing suit when all the animals laughed at him after they all promised not to. It was like feeling insecure and being betrayed/insulted by people that claimed to care about you 😢

[fergin]

I like how the “Alone” story ends with “they were two close friends sitting alone together”

Theres something deep there, and to me its how natural and healthy i think it is for friends to just enjoy eachothers presence, without feeling the need to always be actively engaging with eachother. You just cycle through moments of conversation and then moments of being alone with your thoughts, but with friends.

[Fit_By_Gods_Grace_Alone]

Growing up very poor, I never purchased any books from the scholastic book form that was handed out. A friend gave me “Frog and Toad” bc he knew I really wanted it but never had any money. I carried this book around like it was gold. This book inspired me to draw. I love the earthy colors Thanks for sharing.

[UltravioletNomad]

The description of Frog and Toad being children with an adult's freedom better puts in to perspective what exactly is going on with Spongebob, having a job and a house, but going to boating school and playing with simpler pleasures like bubbles and 'bug catching'.

[Chascoso]

The whole cottage core aesthetic is really a longing for a life where there isn’t so much chaos. I really miss living in the countryside, but I also remember a lot of bad memories during that period. But being surrounded by nature felt like I always had somewhere to go if I needed some space. In the city it’s not as easy.

[elizabethmartin]

Funny story, when I was in kindergarten we used to read their books and I was a huge fan. Well, we had a field trip to go to the local playhouse to see a Frog and Toad play. Naturally, I was super excited that I was going to see the real Frog and Toad. When the play started, two adult men walked out on stage claiming to be the titular characters. 6 year old me was so disappointed that it wasn’t an actual frog and toad that I was in a sour mood for the rest of the play. They did hand out animal crackers at the end, so it did make me feel a little better, but I never forgot that feeling of betrayal at being denied the "real" Frog and Toad.

[cd]

This video is the adult equivalent to sitting on the carpet for storytime in kindergarten. Thank you for making this; it was strangely therapeutic. You posed interesting ideas and had me thinking the entire time.

[hallorette]

This is one of the best children’s book series. Frog And Toad Are Friends changed my life as a kid. I was super insecure as a kid because I felt like Toad; awkward, silly, selfish and lazy, while I saw my brother as Frog; selfless, competent, patient and kind. It mad me sad because I saw our relationship as one-sided. I read that book and cried because I realized that it was ok, and that’s what friends do: the frogs of the world uplift the toads of the world by kindness and a good example. I began to realize that someday I would have to be Frog to someone else, and I would also be Toad again too. Now I know that it all evens out. We are all both Frog and Toad, to different people in our lives at different times. Frog Are Toad Friends is probably my favorite book of all time.

[TrollMcLolTheFirst]

My mom read to me a frog and toad book and she would add her own spin on it by adding swear words like “these are some good motherfuckin cookies, Toad.” It was so funny to me as a kid.

[Taffyart]

I think the idea that the are Lobel's inner voices is actually really beautiful. Frog represents the voice of self love and acceptance, and toad is the critic, protector, and stability.

[catdragon]

I had a different interpretation of The Dream, but yours is great and it makes a lot of sense in the context of the series.

My interpretation is that Toad is envisioning himself as the greatest in the world, and continually builds himself and his ego up by asking Frog if he could do whatever stunt Toad is doing. But he doesn’t know that he’s making Frog feel bad about himself (symbolized by Frog growing smaller every time he says no) until he’s disappeared. And Toad realizes being the greatest in the world means nothing if it costs him the most important person in his life.

[NCHProductions]

the one story from frog and toad that burnt deep into memory was the cookie story. the whole will power to not finish all the cookies...
somehow, the illustrations for that particular stories, esp how they eat the cookies in every moment just really got me as a kid. always felt like I wanted to eat cookies after reading the story.
it just feels "tasty" just seeing them eat the cookies in the drawing lol.... very rare I get such an effect from drawings so this is quite an exception.

[phillipbrown]

My single mom would read these to me as a baby. I'm a single dad that read them to my son as a baby. My earliest memories are of reading 'Frog and Toad are Friends' with my mom. Its a part of what kind of dad I am now. It's an important series to me and it looks like lots of others. This video makes the world seem smaller. Less unfamiliar.

[pnuthead]

As a little girl I remember my child mind reacting to the stories often with deep concern for the characters. I was an anxious child. I read them to my son in my early 20’s and I watched his little face accept the stories for face value. He’s a kind person. In my late 40’s I’ve read them to my grandson who regularly interjects with frank, demanding questions. He is a quintessential, passionate problem solver.

These books have been a joy in my life and I treasure them.

Also I took the cookies at face value for portion control and will power struggles with food because that story was always just too real. 😂

[phoeberose]

It might seem silly but about 10 minutes into this video I started crying, it wasn't quite a sad cry it was almost nostalgic of being a child and not knowing what emotion I was feeling. It was the most ok I had felt in a very long time, like I just let myself be and realised I was not alone. Thank you

[somepunkinthecomments]

This actually was very comforting for me. Sometimes I feel like self help videos come from a perspective of an adult with adult problems, when sometimes there are childhood problems plaguing adulthood, so you have to approach the issues as if you were a kid still. I'm off to wash the dishes I've been putting off for nearly a month now. Thank you.

[TroubledTrooper]

I think they can be anything to anyone, a gay relationship, an asexual relationship, a reminder of your brother who you spend time with and miss, a friend you loved. It's what makes these books great.