Illustration of animals in surreal landscape.
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Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Random House Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1983 Arnold Lobel.

Arnold Lobel

Arnold Lobel (1933–1987) declared he “was born a children’s book illustrator and writer.” He illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, many—like his Frog and Toad series—celebrating love, friendship, and individuality.  His graphite, ink, and watercolor illustrations most often feature whimsical animal characters engaged in everyday human dramas. The Carle’s collection includes work from his award-winning titles, including the Caldecott Medal picture book Fables (1981) and the Newbery Honor chapter book Frog and Toad Together (1973).

Lobel’s children Adrianne and Adam have generously donated more than 600 artworks by their father to the Museum, representing 20 book titles. The Carle presented Seeking a State of Grace: The Art of Arnold Lobel in 2008 and organized the traveling exhibitions Frog and Toad and the World of Arnold Lobel at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco (2014) and Arnold Lobel: Alone Together, a touring show in Japan (2021). 

Illustration of boy walking with kerchief on a stick.

Arnold Lobel, Dummy book for Giant John (Henry Holt & Co.) Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1964 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of people riding rhino.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Four Little Children Who Went Around the World by Edward Lear. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1968 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of bustling scene in village.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1968 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of frog and toad in their homes.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Frog and Toad are Friends (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1970 Arnold Lobel.

Lobel won a Newbery Honor for his storytelling in Frog and Toad Together. He uses simple text, stripped of gratuitous adjectives and adverbs, to reveal the personalities and quirks of the amphibian friends. Lobel created four Frog and Toad books, transforming the “I Can Read” series to instant children’s classics.  
 
Illustration of bird shaped like ice cream cone.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1971 Arnold Lobel.

Lobel’s black-and-white illustrations in Hildilid’s Night earned him a Caldecott Honor. He deftly delineates volume and form through variations in line density and direction. His night sky is composed of thousands of short black strokes; the white spaces between the marks appear to twinkle like stars.
Illustration of woman with vast rural landscape behind her.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Hildilid’s Night by Cheli Durán Ryan (Aladdin). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1971 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of book cover with frog and toad with snowman.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Frog and Toad All Year (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1976 Arnold Lobel.

We’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard to resist being charmed by these two best friends. This color study shows Lobel’s meticulous preparation and planning. The pencil marks he used as guides for his hand-lettered text are still visible.
Illustration of skeleton with flowers.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep by Jack Prelutsky (Greenwillow). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1976 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of frog and toad holding gifts.

Lobel claimed his characters Frog and Toad “are really two aspects of myself.” Toad is serious and pessimistic while Frog is cheerful and easy going.  

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Frog and Toad All Year (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1976 Arnold Lobel.
Illustration of woman with broom floating in basket in sky.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Gregory Griggs and Other Nursery Rhyme People. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1978 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of fox sitting on fence talking to geese.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Fables (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1980 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of dog begging on street.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Fables (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1980 Arnold Lobel.

Finding Aesop’s Fables too violent for children, Lobel decided to write and illustrate his own fables about his favorite animals. He won the Caldecott Medal for his work in Fables, an elegant volume without the overly didactic or moralizing themes of earlier accounts.  
 
Illustration of pig eating dinner.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Book of Pigericks (HarperCollins). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1983 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of animals in surreal landscape.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Random House Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1983 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of cat giving key to guards.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Whiskers & Rhymes (Greenwillow). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1985 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of bridge at night.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Whiskers & Rhymes (Greenwillow). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1985 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of blind mice running.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Random House Book of Mother Goose. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1986 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of person running through crooked houses at night.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for The Random House Book of Mother Goose. Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1986 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of triceratops.

Arnold Lobel, Illustration for Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast by Jack Prelutsky (Greenwillow). Gift of Adrianne and Adam Lobel (The Estate of Arnold Lobel). © 1988 Arnold Lobel.

Illustration of frog fiddling in field of clover.

Arnold Lobel, Frog Fiddling in a Meadow of Clover. Gift of Justin G. Schiller. © Arnold Lobel.

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Arnold Lobel smoking a pipe on a city rooftop.

Arnold Lobel

In his short life, Arnold Lobel illustrated nearly 100 children’s books. The Carle’s extensive collection of Lobel’s work includes art from his beloved Frog and Toad series. Lobel’s children Adrianne and Adam generously donated more than 500 works by their father to the Museum.