Arnold Lobel

Hello! My name is Arnold Lobel. I was born a long time ago, on May 22nd, 1933. When I was a little boy, I was often quiet and liked to spend time by myself. I loved to draw. I would draw funny animals with big smiles. Drawing my animal friends made me feel happy, and I hoped they would make other people happy, too.

When I grew up, I decided to make stories and pictures for children. In the year 1970, I created my most famous characters. They were two best friends, and their names were Frog and Toad. Frog and Toad did everything together. They went on sweet adventures, like going for a swim on a sunny day. Sometimes they looked for lost buttons or ate yummy cookies together. No matter what happened, they always helped each other. That is what best friends do.

My stories were all about the importance of friendship. I wanted to show how wonderful it is to have a good friend. In 1981, I won a very special award called the Caldecott Medal for one of my books. I lived to be 54 years old. I am so happy that my books and my characters, like Frog and Toad, still bring joy to children and teach them all about being a kind and loving friend.