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Frog and Toad

Is a frog the same thing as a toad? In the classic children's book Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad ARE alike in many ways, but they are different, too. One of them is adventurous, and one of them has a more cautious nature. One of them is a snappy dresser, and one of them could use some fashion advice. One of them is green and one of them is brown.

Come and sample these internet sites and complete the activities for each one to learn more about the world of frogs and toads.

Center for Environmental Global Education
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/science/faq1.html#comparisons

  1. List the differences between a frog and a toad.
  2. A group of lions is called a pride. What is a group of frogs called? What is a group of toads called?
  3. Get a copy of Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel. Look at the way that Arnold Lobel has illustrated these two amphibians. Did he do a good job in drawing the differences between a frog and a toad? Explain why or why not.

All About Frogs - Frogs and Toads
http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/general/frogtoad.html

  1. Where in the world do frogs live?
  2. Where in the world do toads live?
  3. What do some toads have behind their eyes? Look at the illustrations in Frog and Toad Are Friends. Do you see any indications of this on Arnold Lobel's Toad? Here is a close-up of those "puffy-looking pockets".

The Froggy Page
http://www.frogsonice.com/froggy/sciam.shtml

  1. How do most frogs and toads survive in the wintertime? Read the first chapter in Frog and Toad Are Friends. It's called "Spring". Explain how this chapter relates to what frogs and toads do in the wintertime.
  2. Can frogs or toads give you warts? Explain why or why not. What is a possible explanation for why some people may think that warts are caused by frogs and toads.

Pioneer - Utah's Online Library
http://pioneer.uen.org/

  1. From the main Pioneer page, select SIRS Discoverer. Do a keyword search for "frog". You will see a long list of periodical articles that have something to do with frogs. Select one of the articles, read it, and write a 2-3 paragraph summary.
  2. Now do a keyword search with "toad". You will see a long list of periodical articles that have something to do with toads. Select one of the articles, read it, and write a 2-3 paragraph summary.

Salt Lake County Library System
http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/

  1. Did you realize that you don't actually have to GO to your public library to see if they have the book, video, music CD, computer software, or magazine that you want? You can actually look online now and do a search for the items that you want. Then you can place your items on hold, and they will be ready for you to pick up when you arrive at the library. Check out the web catalog of the Salt Lake County Library. Do an author search for Arnold Lobel. List all of the Frog and Toad books that he has written.

American Library Association - Caldecott
http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html

  1. Arnold Lobel won a Caldecott Medal for one of his books. Which one? Was it Frog and Toad Are Friends?

Newbery Winners and Honor Books
http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbpast.html

Caldecott Winners and Honor Books
http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldpast.html

  1. For his Frog and Toad series of books, Arnold Lobel has won BOTH Newbery and Caldecott Honor Medals. This is very unusual for an author or illustrator. For which book did he receive a Caldecott Honor designation? For which book did he receive a Newbery Honor designation? In what years did he receive these medals?
  2. What book won the actual Newbery Medal the year that Arnold Lobel won the Newbery Honor Medal?
  3. What book won the actual Caldecott Medal the year that Arnold Lobel won the Caldecott Honor Medal?
  4. Look at the winners of the Newbery Awards for the year 2000. There is another author/illustrator among the Newbery winners who also won a Caldecott Honor designation in the past. Who is it?

Teacher Resources

Frog and Toad Are Friends
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/frog/frogtg.html

A teacher cyberguide from SCORES. It has activities for students to create an origami frog, make a frog/toad Venn diagram, and more.

Image is copyrighted by ArtToday. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us