Frog and Toad
When Lobel was sick and out of school for much of second grade he kept himself busy by drawing. He used his animal drawings as a way of coping with the social insecurity of his return and to make friends. His books about animal friends, such as Frog and Toad, were drawn from these experiences. Lobel himself wrote "Frog and Toad are really two aspects of myself." In "The New Yorker", his daughter, set designer Adrianne Lobel, suggested "that there’s another dimension to the series’s sustained popularity. Frog and Toad are 'of the same sex, and they love each other'," and that "'Frog and Toad' really was the beginning of him coming out". Two books that contain references to Frog and Toad were completed by Lobel's daughter Adrianne from uncolored material for three books. They are written, illustrated, and delivered in a manner different from the four Frog and Toad books. "Frog and Toad are Friends" was a Caldecott Honor Book, or runner-up for the annual American Library Association (ALA) Caldecott Medal, which recognizes children's picture book illustration. In 2012 it was ranked number 15 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by "School Library Journal". "Frog and Toad Together" was a Newbery Honor Book, which recognizes children's literature. "Frog and Toad All Year" won a Christopher Award in 1977 – one of five, at a time when books for young people was the only award category. The awards recognize "media that 'affirm the highest values of the human spirit'  ... Award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others. " In the 1980s, "Churchill Films" produced 18-minute and 30-minute adaptations of the first two books using clay animation (claymation) stop-motion. Producer George McQuilkin, executive producer Robert B. Churchill. Both films were directed by John Clark Matthews, credited also as theme music composer and one principal animator. Frog and Toad were voiced by Will Ryan and Hal Smith. They were narrated by Lobel. "Frog and Toad Are Friends" was released on May 23, 1985; "Frog and Toad Together" on September 3, 1987. They were distributed to the home market only (direct-to-video). The "Frog and Toad" books inspired a Broadway musical, "A Year with Frog and Toad". The musical was commissioned by Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, played off-Broadway, and ran briefly on Broadway in 2003. It was nominated for three Tony Awards. Prior to this, the books had inspired a non-musical play, "Frog and Toad (Forever)" written by Y York, and performed at Seattle Children's Theatre (1998) and First Stage Milwaukee (1999).
Books
In 2008, three of Arnold Lobel's uncolored, unpublished "Frog and Toad" books were discovered in an estate sale. They were consolidated into two books and colored by Lobel's daughter Adrianne Lobel.