Adrianne Lobel, the daughter of Arnold Lobel, recently sat for an interview with The New Yorker to discuss her father’s beloved children’s books series, Frog and Toad. Arnold’s first Frog and Toad book was published in 1970. In 1974, Arnold revealed himself to be a gay man to his family.
Adrianne observes that the two protagonists are “of the same sex” and they share a loving relationship. She feels that the story “was quite ahead of its time in that respect.'” She suspects that the Frog and Toad stories may have represented her father’s beginning in “coming out.”
In his lifetime, Arnold wrote and illustrated four Frog and Toad books; each one features five short stories. Book one, entitled Frog and Toad Are Friends, won Arnold a Caldecott Honor in 1971. What’s your favorite Frog and Toad story? (via People Magazine)