Friendship, although conceptually understood by younger children, is one of those things that seems elusive when we try to fully explain it. It's a complex, multi-faceted life and it's one of the best parts of living a rich life. Friendship has been a literary subject from the Bible to Thoreau, who wrote a comprehensive essay on friendships and their meanings. Modern literature explores many aspects of friendships, good and bad, but the simple but meaningful friendships depicted in children's stories are some of the most memorable and none more so than the adorable frog and the toad. This exploration of the character Frog, one of the most beloved characters of all time, reveals what truly makes a good friend. Frog and Toad are inseparable friends created by author Arnold Lobel. He has written four books about the adorable duo, Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, Frog and Toad All Year, and Days with Frog and Toad. These two amphibians have unique characteristics. Frog is very friendly and laid back while Toad is the more serious and touchy of the duo, but they share a genuine affection for each other. Frog has many humorous and often touching adventures with Toad, in which Frog demonstrates how to be a loyal friend. He regularly demonstrates patience, loyalty, wisdom, and selflessness when interacting with Toad and other animals he knows. They learn to fly a kite together, bake cookies (and try not to eat), and wait for seeds to grow. In the story The Letter from Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog encourages his friend not only by sending him a letter, but also trying to keep his spirits up while waiting for the mail to arrive (Lobel, 1979). Frog is a creature that loves simplicity...... middle of paper ...... being there through thick and thin. Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “…no man is useless as long as he has a friend” (quoted in BrainyCitation, 2011). The same is surely true for an amphibian. The frog is an example to all species of loyalty, love and companionship. He embodies kindness and stability. Sometimes it takes the joyful simplicity of a children's book, like the Frog and Toad series, to reveal the fundamental simplicity of life's principles.ReferencesBrainyQuote.com. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/robertloui155203.html Lobel, A. (1979). Frog and Toad are friends. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Milne, A. (1927). Now there are six of us. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books. Wilde, D., Crane, D., Skloff, M., Kauffman, M., Solem, P., & Willis, A. (1995). I'll be there for you. On LP [CD]. Rembrandts (Group).