Author
Arnold Lobel
9 books here
Fables
Picture book · ages 4–8 · 620L · 1980
The funniest fable collection for early readers—Lobel's deadpan animal logic and pencil drawings make each story a small joke that lands every time you reread it.
Frog and Toad Together
Early reader · ages 4–8 · 420L · 1971
The gold standard for early-reader friendship books—each story is self-contained, the humor is genuine (never condescending), and the emotional truth about what friends do for each other will resonate at 5 and again at 7.
Frog and Toad All Year
Early reader · ages 4–8 · 420L · 1996
Lobel's quietest masterpiece — seven gentle stories that teach the shape of real friendship through repetition and the turning year; a book kids return to for comfort, not just plot.
Owl at Home
Early reader · ages 4–8 · 420L · 1993
Arnold Lobel's masterpiece for early readers—deceptively gentle stories about solitude, friendship, and small domestic joys that grow richer on rereads; the illustrations are essential to the book's heart.
Mouse Soup
Early reader · ages 4–8 · 380L · 2016
Lobel's tightest short story—a weasel captures a mouse for soup, and the mouse talks his way free through four increasingly absurd tales; kids giggle at the ridiculous stories-within-the-story, and adults appreciate the quiet cleverness.
Hildilid's Night
Picture book · ages 4–8 · 480L · 1996
A Caldecott-worthy meditation on agency and impossible dreams—the text is spare, the illustrations are luminous and strange, and Hilda's quiet conviction lingers long after the final page.
Frog and Toad Are Friends
Early reader · ages 4–8 · 400L · 2003
The foundational friendship book—short chapters, Lobel's illustrations do half the work, and kids understand without being preached to that showing up for someone is what friendship means.
On Market Street
Picture book · ages 3–7 · 500L · 1981
A deceptively clever alphabet romp disguised as a shopping trip—Lobel's collage art is a feast, and kids notice something new on every reread.
Small Pig
Picture book · ages 3–7 · 300L · 2021
Lobel's gentlest work — a pig who loves mud, his farmer's fumbling attempts to keep him clean, and the quiet joy of being yourself; the illustrations do most of the storytelling.