Bamboo comes from a bamboo shoot,
Rutabaga comes from a rutabaga root,
Bananas are the funniest fruit,
Turtle always tells the truth, and
Toad looks funny in a bathing suit!
Guess what! They’ve made a Broadway musical out of the Frog and Toad books!
You know Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books, right? Although they are I Can Read books — the worst for reading out loud — they are guaranteed to appeal to grownups. Especially the hilariously (and realistically) neurotic Toad. I swear, the first chapter of Frog and Toad are Friends contains one of the greatest scenes in children’s literature of all time. Toad, who’s been hibernating all winter, doesn’t want to get up yet. In order to convince him that spring is really here, Frog simply rips off another page from Toad’s calendar. (See, it’s May now. Time to get up!) Summarized here, it sounds dorky, but in the book and with the hilarious illustrations, it just kills me every time.
So, my brother-in-law made us a copy of the soundtrack. (Thanks, dude!) I don’t have a booklet or even a list of song titles to go with it, so I know nothing about the production. But judging by the music, it must have been great. The songs are instantly recognizable as episodes from the books. The snail delivering mail, Frog and Toad trying not to eat the cookies, Toad waiting for his seeds to sprout, the bathing suit, etc. And the orchestration is adorable, sort of cabaret-ish. Very funny and cute, and really true to the spirit of the stories.
6 Comments
Agreed, on both points. Frong and Toad, et al is almost painful to read aloud. But, then again, it isn’t. I personally can’t decide which is my favorite, but, unlike some selections from my kids’ shelves, I know when this one is pulled out I’ll *always* get a chuckle. I personally think “rediscovering” our childhood reading favorites is one of the greatest rewards of parenting.
We must have lived a sheltered life. I don’t remember this series. (Come to think of it, I can’t remember what I did yesterday.)
ha ha, I remember this scene! I also remember being VERY uncomfortable with Frog’s deceptive actions. I always thought he was a little on the manipulative side. It sounds like a fun show, though.
True, Kristy, though occasionally there are bad surprises when you discover a book you’d thought was totally amazing turns out to be not so amazing from an adult perspective. This happens more with chapter books than picture books, though.
Fred, it’s not too late. You can read it now. Or get the cd.
Ella, I agree Frog is manipulative at times, and that’s not so nice. But Toad does need a slap in the face every once in a while.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen these either (cultural differences, perhaps?) but I had/have a copy of The Terrible Tiger which I love/d. HIs rhymes are pretty wild at times, but also very clever. The meter is particularly good for reading out loud, and a friend of mine once threatened to put it to music (after reading it to D)
WOW! That could be soo cool. It could suck, too, though. I love Frog and Toad; all early reader books should be so entertaining.