Thursday, April 18, 2013

frog and toad (and the cookie quandary)


watercolor

Toad baked some cookies.
“These cookies smell very good,” said Toad.
He ate one.
“And they taste even better,” he said.
Toad ran to Frog’s house.
“Frog, Frog,” cried Toad. “Taste these cookies that I have made.”
Frog ate one of the cookies.
These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!” said Frog.
Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another.
“You know, Toad,” said Frog, with his mouth full, 
“I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick.”
“You are right,” said Toad. 
“Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop.”
Frog and Toad ate one last cookie.
There were many cookies left in the bowl.
“Frog,” said Toad, “let us eat one very last cookie, 
and then we will stop.”
Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie.
“We must stop eating!” cried Toad as he ate another.
“Yes,” said Frog, reaching for a cookie, 
“We need will power.”
“What is will power?” asked Toad.
“Will power is trying hard not to do something 
that you really want to do,” said Frog.
“You mean like trying not to eat all of these cookies?” asked Toad.
“Right,” said Frog.
Frog put the cookies in a box.
“There,” He said. “Now we will not eat the cookies.”
But we can open the box,” said Toad.
“That is true,” said Frog.
Frog tied some string around the box.
“There,” he said. “Now we will not eat anymore cookies.”
But we can cut the string and open the box,” said Toad.
“That is true,” said Frog.
Frog got a ladder.
He put the box up on a high shelf.
“There,” said Frog. 
“Now we will not eat the cookies.”
But we can climb the ladder 
and take the box down from the shelf 
and cut the string and open the box,” said Toad.
“That is true,” said Frog.
Frog climbed the ladder 
and took the box down from the shelf. 
He cut the string and opened the box.
Frog took the box outside.
He shouted in a loud voice, 
“HEY BIRDS, HERE ARE COOKIES!”
Birds came from everywhere.
They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away.
“Now we have no more cookies to eat,” Toad said sadly.
 “Not even one.”
“Yes,” said Frog, 
“but we have lots and lots of will power.”
“You may keep it all, Frog,” said Toad. 
“I am going home now to 
bake a cake.”

Arnold Lobel ~Frog and Toad




Sharing at PaintPartyFriday

42 comments:

  1. these frogs are awesome. love the palette, they look like they are in some mysterious lagoon! Also love the elephant below!

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  2. Very nice painting! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier! Glad to have found yours!

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  3. I love your painting as much as I love the antics of Lobel's Frog and Toad series… and that's a real compliment. You did an amazing job capturing the feeling of their wet skins. Blessings!

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  4. Your frogs are fantastic, I LOVE the story, and I have very little will-power - I think the birds took it along with the cookies! Valerie

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  5. I love it...the best story ever!! At first I thought your frogs were mad...then I realized they were stuffed... I hate that feeling!! lol

    Good job...very fun!

    Hugs Giggles

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  6. love your frogs and the story, wonderful!

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  7. Haha, love that story! and your frogs!

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  8. I love it... the story is fabulous and the illustration is perfect.... how do you find the time... I am bowing down to your mastery of time management over here...xx

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  9. Great cookie eating frogs. Ours should be croaking soon now that the weather is warming. Happy PPF xox

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  10. just Gorgeous...

    two enchanted princes!

    Happy PPF
    Susi from
    monthly open challenge for Art Journalers:
    ART-JOURNAL-JOURNEY

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  11. Wonderfully cheery post and art- love your work as always. Hope all your little frogs are doing fine today. Hugs and wfs and happy PPF.

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  12. of course I love them! thank you so much for your wonderful comment about my sketch!
    cheers, dana

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  13. This is awesome! Great color combo and I love the story too. :)

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  14. Wonderful, you have captured the water and the wetness of the frogs so well! And their expressions! :) <3

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  15. what a fantastic painting - I love the limited colour palette - I can practically hear those frogs croaking they look so real!

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  16. oh, and I loved the frog and toad passage - what a great lesson in will power - or not!

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  17. And, gee to think... I thought I loved your frogs in b&w. Now, I love them even more in color!! I'm with Tracey - I bow to your time management skills - you are amazing. Although, creativity in life is needed as much as breathing. Its just what we have to do. and there is time and space for everything we want and need to do. Love the story too!

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  18. oh love those frogs! and the story is adorable...yes, cookies are always difficult to resist. I wonder if they had flies in them instead of chocolate chips? ha! happy PPF!

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  19. How funny! tee hee. Enjoyed that story very much, awesome and do love your over bloated from the cookies frogs. :) Happy PPF!

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  20. terrific painting and love the story. Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  21. Hi Minnemie:) What a lovely story, it made me laugh! Your frogs are amazing. I loved the frogs in your previous posts but these are stunning! Love the beautiful colors. So well done!

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  22. nice painting-and a fun story to accompany it! :) Happy PPF!

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  23. Wonderful art and story! Love it! HPPF!

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  24. I love Frog and Toad - I have read that story to my daughter many moons ago - and also to my grandson. Unfortunately he's more into things like Captain Underpants (a classic LOL) now. Love your frog and toad and I also love the colors. HPPF

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  25. Love the story, and let's bake some cake :-) and your water colour painting is wonderful! Toad and frog...
    Happy PPF!

    Ilona

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  26. I think Lobel is the reason so many of us love frogs and toads. Wonderful painting -- love the palette and the frog eyes. And thanks for reminding me of this classic story. Think I'll read it to a friend this week-end.

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  27. OH MY GOODNESS.
    1. WOW! I love this painting! Color, shapes, lighting - so cool!
    2. Frog and Toad are Friends! Among my very, very favorites. Can't pick a better inspiration for frogs and toads. :)

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  28. Love their expressions! Mr. Frog with loads of newly gained will power and Mr. Toad with the woeful look of having lost his favorite cookies!

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  29. Wonderful! You've done a great job of David's photo and I'm sure he would have loved it if he were here to see it - a wonderful tribute to him ... so glad you joined in with the challenge, I love your artwork, these froggies have been popular - great accompanying story too!

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  30. what fun story to go with your gorgeous painting. makes the story so much alive. :)

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  31. wow..you have such a magical way with watercolors..a poet with a paintbrush....your work always sparks me..such beautiful creatures..the color palette you have used is brilliant to me..such depth and energy..and your brushtrokes are flawless..smooth.. and those intricate details you bring out are stunning!! Awesome story to read too..wonderful!
    Victoria

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  32. riveting painting and poem...rivet! rivet!

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  33. I love the way you make these frogs come a live. Beautiful.
    Nicole/Beadwright

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  34. wonderful story. your watercolors have a wonderful watery, slippery feel. happy ppf on saturday

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  35. Oh I just love your story !! Willpower does survive :)
    and the painting is superb...the colors awesome !!
    You talked about cookies and I ...ice cream :)

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  36. So lovely! My toads are coming up again, I love taking pictures of them. Very cute post!

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  37. Your work is perfect for this Lobel story!
    I should print this out and posted on my frig and on the boxes of Rocher chocolates we keep eating LOL . We might just come away with some will power!!!! : ) and maybe less pounds haha
    Enjoyed this post very much!

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  38. I love your painting. (Have a weakness for toads.)
    That's about how much will power I have--LOL!
    This was great! :)

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  39. Fab version of David's photo. You've given the frogs lots of character and appeal.

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  40. Lovely painting and tale LOL , really enjoyed this post :-)

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