Determined to have a garden at least as beautiful as Frog’s, Toad wastes no time in getting started. When Toad sees Frog’s beautiful garden, he immediately wants one of his own. A reading of “The Garden,” by Arnold Lobel, offers the perfect opportunity to unpack this common saying. Stop-animation film of the story Guidelines for Philosophical DiscussionĮveryone has heard the expression “patience is a virtue.” Yet, for as common as the expression is, it seems less common that it is given any serious discussion. But did Toad really need to work as hard as he did, or would the garden have grown anyway? It doesn’t take Toad long to realize that growing a garden can be hard work, especially if that work involves being patient. Toad loves Frog’s garden so much that he decides to grow a garden for himself.

What a truly masterful storyteller.Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary Frog and Toad plant a garden and learn about patience and anger along the way.

And they’re funny, on the surface yes, but also underlyingly so in a way that young readers won’t necessarily understand, but won’t feel foolish for missing either. The characters are all lovable, real in their foibles, and driven by a very human kind of motivation (which is remarkable, actually, when we’re talking about toads, badgers, and bears).įrog and Toad in particular is philosophy and poetry, provocative, but also comforting. All three series are simple in their language, but magic in their depths, in their strangeness, their child’s-eye-view of the world revealing such startling vision. So he rushes home and he writes Toad a letter, arranging to have it delivered to Toad by– and wait for it– “a snail that he knew.” And I’m not going to give away any spoilers here, but I suspect you can surmise where the rest of the story might go.įrog and Toad is a recent discovery for us, part of the Classic I Can Read Books whose series include both Frances and Little Bear, who we love. Toad, characteristically, is resigned to his sadness, but Frog wants to help his friend. Toad explains that this is his sad time of day, because it’s the time of day when he waits for the mail, but not once has he ever received a letter. A chapter in Lobel’s book Frog and Toad Are Friends, “The Letter” begins with Frog coming along to discover his friend Toad sitting on his porch looking sad. Without a bit of exaggeration, I promise you that “The Letter” by Arnold Lobel is the very best short story I’ve read lately.

Book about toad and frog