Arnold Stark Lobel (May 22, 1933 – December 4, 1987) was an American author of children's books, including the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup. He wrote and illustrated these picture books as well as Fables, a 1981 Caldecott Medal winner for best-illustrated U.S. picture book. Lobel also illustrated books by other writers, including Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley published in 1969.
Arnold Lobel
Born
Arnold Stark Lobel (1933-05-22)May 22, 1933 Los Angeles, California
Died
December 4, 1987(1987-12-04) (aged 54) New York City, U.S.
Lobel was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lucille Stark and Joseph Lobel, and raised in Schenectady, New York, the hometown of his parents, by his German-Jewish grandparents.[1] Lobel was frequently bullied in his childhood[2] and often read picture books at his local library.[3] He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 1955, after he graduated, he married Anita Kempler, also a children's writer and illustrator whom he'd met while in art school. The two worked in the same studio[4] and collaborated on several books together.[5] They had two children, daughter Adrianne and son Adam, followed by three grandchildren.
After college, Lobel was unable to support himself as a children's book author nor illustrator and so he worked in advertising and trade magazines, which he openly disliked.[6]
Lobel loved his work, saying "I cannot think of any work that could be more agreeable and fun than making books for children" and described his job as a daydreamer.[4]
Lobel began drawing during a period of extended illness as a second grader.[4] On the October 25, 1950 episode of "Kukla, Fran and Ollie", Oliver J. Dragon presented "poems by Thomas Smith and drawings by Arnold Lobel from Schenectady."[12] His professional career began during the 1960s, writing and illustrating "conventional" easy readers and fables. His style could be described as minimalist[6] and frequently had animals as the subject matter.[4] Lobel used animals as characters because he felt it helped with the suspension of disbelief.[13]Joseph Stanton, writing in The Journal of American Culture, argues that Lobel's style was "timid" before Lobel started writing easy readers.[14]
His second book, A Holiday for Mister Muster,[4] and perhaps others were inspired by the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, across from which the Lobels lived.[3] Cartoons his children watched were also an inspiration,[15] as were popular television shows like Bewitched and The Carol Burnett Show.[16]
Lobel's writing and illustrations went through several phases in his career. His early works had a broad humor often in verse, a style that he would return to at other points in his career. In 1977 interview for The Lion and the Unicorn, Lobel explained that he wrote these books by imagining what children would want to read. However, as he continued to write, he realized the books he was writing didn't have the "weight" to them he wished and that he was going to have to use tap into himself in order to create better writing.[17] Following that epiphany, he began taking inspiration from his own experiences and emotions, and acknowledged that he was writing "... adult stories, slightly disguised as children's stories."[17] In the 1970s Lobel's illustrations shifted from primary colors to a broader spectrum of pastel colors.[18] The solitary individual, whether played seriously or for comic relief, was common in Lobel's work, as were two people who were complementary.[14] Lobel's illustrations served to visualize the rhythm and emotions of the text in a way that could be "cinematic."[19]
Lobel's chosen vocabulary, subject matter, and writing style helped to re-conceive what an easy reader book could be.[20] Lobel identified the exploration of his own feelings as a reason that he improved as a writer. In his 1977 The Lion and the Unicorn interview, Lobel discussed the ways he would work through his emotions while still maintaining his children's audience.[17] This was part of Lobel's belief that adult and children emotions were more similar than different.[14] His work was described as "sunny, warm, even cosy."[6] Despite this, the process of writing was "painful" for Lobel, who was far more inclined to want to illustrate than write[2] and only started writing because of the increased royalties.[17] As late as 1983, Lobel felt he was beginning to trust his instincts as a writer.[13] In fact, he never felt comfortable enough with his technical writing skill to consider writing a novel for adults, or a longer book for children.[17]
Lobel illustrated close to 100 books during his career [6] which were translated into dozens of languages.[2] Despite the awards he won, Lobel wasn't always recognized during his lifetime.[6]
Comprising four books, the Frog and Toad series tells tales of the two eponymous friends. Lobel felt his personality was reflected in the two characters, saying "Frog and Toad are really two aspects of myself."[4] The marked contrast between the "adventurous" Frog and the "bumbling" Toad is part of what made their relationship believable and endearing.[21][14] His daughter Adrianne has suggested that the friendship between the two characters was really a beginning of Lobel's own coming out, though this connection is not something Lobel publicly discussed.[16] The strong friendship between Frog and Toad has been identified as an important reason for their success with children,[6] along with their "vaudevillian" relationship.[22]
The book Fables is composed of approximately 20 fables featuring animal protagonists. The book was praised for its ability to combine a cheerful (rather than moralistic) tone with an actual moral at the end of each story. It received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations in 1981, Lobel's first win and third overall recognition.[23][24]
Awardsedit
Lobel is among a small group of people who have been honored as both an author and illustrator for the Newbery and Caldecott medals.[6] Lobel won the 1981 Caldecott from the American Library Association, recognizing Fables as the year's best-illustrated U.S. children's picture book. His work won the Caldecott Honor in 1971 and 1972 for Frog and Toad are Friends and Hildilid's Night.[25] He won a Newbery Honor Award in 1973 for Frog and Toad Together (1972).[26] He won the Garden State Children's Book Award from the New Jersey Library Association for Mouse Soup (1977). He was also recognized by the National Education Association, the American Library Association, the Boys’ Club, the Society of Children's Book Writers, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Foundation.[18]
Theateredit
The musical A Year with Frog and Toad (workshopped 2000, premiered 2002), by Adrianne Lobel and others, played on Broadway in 2003 and has toured nationally since.
^Arnold (Stark) Lobel Biography from Dictionary of Literary Biography on Arnold (Stark) Lobel. Bookrags. Retrieved 8 February 2015 – via www.bookrags.com.
^ abcStout, Hilary (6 December 1987). "Arnold Lobel, Author-Illustrator". New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
^ abSilvers, Emma (22 November 2013). "Frog and Toad and the World of Arnold Lobel". Jewish News of Northern California. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^ abcdef. Parent's Choice. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^Serafin, Steven R. "LOBEL, Arnold". Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, Letter L. pp. 494–496.
^ abcdefgHearn, Michael Patrick (10 January 1988). "ARNOLD LOBEL AN APPRECIATION". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^Shannon, George. Arnold Lobel. Boston: Twayne, 1989, p. 8.
^ abcdStanton, Joseph (1994). "Straight Man and Clown in the Picture Books of Arnold Lobel". Journal of American Culture. 17 (2): 75–84. doi:10.1111/j.1542-734X.1994.00075.x. ProQuest 200643733.
^. Reading Corner. Houghton Mifflin. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
^ abStokes, Colin. ""Frog and Toad": An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
^ abcdeNatov, Roni; Deluca, Geraldine (1977). "An Interview with Arnold Lobel". The Lion and the Unicorn. 1 (1): 72–96. doi:10.1353/uni.0.0119. S2CID 144959491. Project MUSE 243724 ProQuest 1307995521.
^ abWilliams, Tyrone (Jan 2007). "Arnold Lobel". No. 1. Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works.
^Shannon, George (1991). "Writing the Empty Cup: Rhythm and Sound as Content". Children's Literature. 19 (1): 138–147. doi:10.1353/chl.0.0452. Project MUSE 246230.
^Bader, Barbara (2015). "Five Gay Picture–Book Prodigies and the Difference They've Made". Horn Book Magazine. 91 (2): 24–32.
^Russell, David L. (2006). "The Important Books: Children's Picture Books as Art and Literature (review)". The Lion and the Unicorn. 30 (2): 280–283. doi:10.1353/uni.2006.0025. S2CID 144058348. ProQuest 196693.
^admin (1999-11-30). "Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Retrieved 2019-05-14.
^"Horn Book reviews of Caldecott Medal winners, 1980-1989 — The Horn Book". www.hbook.com. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
^"Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". www.ala.org. American Library Association. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
^"Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
Adrianne Lobel at LC Authorities, with 4 catalog records
October 27, 2023
arnold, lobel, arnold, stark, lobel, 1933, december, 1987, american, author, children, books, including, frog, toad, series, mouse, soup, wrote, illustrated, these, picture, books, well, fables, 1981, caldecott, medal, winner, best, illustrated, picture, book,. Arnold Stark Lobel May 22 1933 December 4 1987 was an American author of children s books including the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup He wrote and illustrated these picture books as well as Fables a 1981 Caldecott Medal winner for best illustrated U S picture book Lobel also illustrated books by other writers including Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley published in 1969 Arnold LobelBornArnold Stark Lobel 1933 05 22 May 22 1933Los Angeles CaliforniaDiedDecember 4 1987 1987 12 04 aged 54 New York City U S OccupationWriter illustratorNationalityAmericanGenreChildren s picture booksNotable worksFrog and Toad series Mouse Soup Prince Bertram the BadNotable awardsCaldecott Medal 1981SpouseAnita Kempler m 1955 wbr Children2 including Adrianne Contents 1 Biography 2 Writing and illustrating 3 Frog and Toad series 4 Fables 5 Awards 6 Theater 7 Books 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksBiography editLobel was born in Los Angeles California to Lucille Stark and Joseph Lobel and raised in Schenectady New York the hometown of his parents by his German Jewish grandparents 1 Lobel was frequently bullied in his childhood 2 and often read picture books at his local library 3 He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn In 1955 after he graduated he married Anita Kempler also a children s writer and illustrator whom he d met while in art school The two worked in the same studio 4 and collaborated on several books together 5 They had two children daughter Adrianne and son Adam followed by three grandchildren After college Lobel was unable to support himself as a children s book author nor illustrator and so he worked in advertising and trade magazines which he openly disliked 6 In the early 1980s he and Anita separated and he moved to Greenwich Village 7 He died of cardiac arrest on December 4 1987 at Doctors Hospital in New York after suffering from AIDS for some time 8 9 10 11 Writing and illustrating editLobel loved his work saying I cannot think of any work that could be more agreeable and fun than making books for children and described his job as a daydreamer 4 Lobel began drawing during a period of extended illness as a second grader 4 On the October 25 1950 episode of Kukla Fran and Ollie Oliver J Dragon presented poems by Thomas Smith and drawings by Arnold Lobel from Schenectady 12 His professional career began during the 1960s writing and illustrating conventional easy readers and fables His style could be described as minimalist 6 and frequently had animals as the subject matter 4 Lobel used animals as characters because he felt it helped with the suspension of disbelief 13 Joseph Stanton writing in The Journal of American Culture argues that Lobel s style was timid before Lobel started writing easy readers 14 His second book A Holiday for Mister Muster 4 and perhaps others were inspired by the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn across from which the Lobels lived 3 Cartoons his children watched were also an inspiration 15 as were popular television shows like Bewitched and The Carol Burnett Show 16 Lobel s writing and illustrations went through several phases in his career His early works had a broad humor often in verse a style that he would return to at other points in his career In 1977 interview for The Lion and the Unicorn Lobel explained that he wrote these books by imagining what children would want to read However as he continued to write he realized the books he was writing didn t have the weight to them he wished and that he was going to have to use tap into himself in order to create better writing 17 Following that epiphany he began taking inspiration from his own experiences and emotions and acknowledged that he was writing adult stories slightly disguised as children s stories 17 In the 1970s Lobel s illustrations shifted from primary colors to a broader spectrum of pastel colors 18 The solitary individual whether played seriously or for comic relief was common in Lobel s work as were two people who were complementary 14 Lobel s illustrations served to visualize the rhythm and emotions of the text in a way that could be cinematic 19 Lobel s chosen vocabulary subject matter and writing style helped to re conceive what an easy reader book could be 20 Lobel identified the exploration of his own feelings as a reason that he improved as a writer In his 1977 The Lion and the Unicorn interview Lobel discussed the ways he would work through his emotions while still maintaining his children s audience 17 This was part of Lobel s belief that adult and children emotions were more similar than different 14 His work was described as sunny warm even cosy 6 Despite this the process of writing was painful for Lobel who was far more inclined to want to illustrate than write 2 and only started writing because of the increased royalties 17 As late as 1983 Lobel felt he was beginning to trust his instincts as a writer 13 In fact he never felt comfortable enough with his technical writing skill to consider writing a novel for adults or a longer book for children 17 Lobel illustrated close to 100 books during his career 6 which were translated into dozens of languages 2 Despite the awards he won Lobel wasn t always recognized during his lifetime 6 Frog and Toad series editMain article Frog and Toad Comprising four books the Frog and Toad series tells tales of the two eponymous friends Lobel felt his personality was reflected in the two characters saying Frog and Toad are really two aspects of myself 4 The marked contrast between the adventurous Frog and the bumbling Toad is part of what made their relationship believable and endearing 21 14 His daughter Adrianne has suggested that the friendship between the two characters was really a beginning of Lobel s own coming out though this connection is not something Lobel publicly discussed 16 The strong friendship between Frog and Toad has been identified as an important reason for their success with children 6 along with their vaudevillian relationship 22 Fables editMain article Fables Lobel book The book Fables is composed of approximately 20 fables featuring animal protagonists The book was praised for its ability to combine a cheerful rather than moralistic tone with an actual moral at the end of each story It received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations in 1981 Lobel s first win and third overall recognition 23 24 Awards editLobel is among a small group of people who have been honored as both an author and illustrator for the Newbery and Caldecott medals 6 Lobel won the 1981 Caldecott from the American Library Association recognizing Fables as the year s best illustrated U S children s picture book His work won the Caldecott Honor in 1971 and 1972 for Frog and Toad are Friends and Hildilid s Night 25 He won a Newbery Honor Award in 1973 for Frog and Toad Together 1972 26 He won the Garden State Children s Book Award from the New Jersey Library Association for Mouse Soup 1977 He was also recognized by the National Education Association the American Library Association the Boys Club the Society of Children s Book Writers and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Foundation 18 Theater editThe musical A Year with Frog and Toad workshopped 2000 premiered 2002 by Adrianne Lobel and others played on Broadway in 2003 and has toured nationally since Books editMain article Arnold Lobel bibliography The Ice Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds Parents Magazine Press New York 1971 Frog and Toad Are Friends 1970 Hildilid s Night 1971 Frog and Toad Together 1972 Owl at Home 1975 Mouse Soup 1977 See also edit nbsp Children s literature portal nbsp Visual arts portalReferences edit Arnold Stark Lobel Biography from Dictionary of Literary Biography on Arnold Stark Lobel Bookrags Retrieved 8 February 2015 via www bookrags com a b c Stout Hilary 6 December 1987 Arnold Lobel Author Illustrator New York Times Retrieved 6 April 2018 a b Silvers Emma 22 November 2013 Frog and Toad and the World of Arnold Lobel Jewish News of Northern California Retrieved 5 April 2018 a b c d e f Arnold Lobel Parent s Choice Archived from the original on 23 July 2015 Retrieved 4 April 2018 Serafin Steven R LOBEL Arnold Continuum Encyclopedia of Children s Literature Letter L pp 494 496 a b c d e f g Hearn Michael Patrick 10 January 1988 ARNOLD LOBEL AN APPRECIATION Washington Post Retrieved 4 April 2018 Shannon George Arnold Lobel Boston Twayne 1989 p 8 Arnold Lobel 54 author illustrator Google News Archive Ocala Star Banner p 5B December 8 1987 retrieved January 15 2012 It has name AIDS Google News Archive Rome News Tribune Associated Press January 7 1990 retrieved January 15 2012 Stout Hilary December 6 1987 Arnold Lobel Author Illustrator The New York Times Shannon George Arnold Lobel Boston Twayne 1989 p 18 Kukla Fran and Ollie Ollie s Would be Biography October 25 1950 retrieved 2022 04 25 a b Rollin L Child Lit Educ 1984 15 191 https doi org 10 1007 BF01137182 a b c d Stanton Joseph 1994 Straight Man and Clown in the Picture Books of Arnold Lobel Journal of American Culture 17 2 75 84 doi 10 1111 j 1542 734X 1994 00075 x ProQuest 200643733 Meet the Author Illustrator Arnold Lobel Reading Corner Houghton Mifflin Archived from the original on 29 March 2018 Retrieved 6 April 2018 a b Stokes Colin Frog and Toad An Amphibious Celebration of Same Sex Love The New Yorker Retrieved June 1 2016 a b c d e Natov Roni Deluca Geraldine 1977 An Interview with Arnold Lobel The Lion and the Unicorn 1 1 72 96 doi 10 1353 uni 0 0119 S2CID 144959491 Project MUSE 243724 ProQuest 1307995521 a b Williams Tyrone Jan 2007 Arnold Lobel No 1 Guide to Literary Masters amp Their Works Shannon George 1991 Writing the Empty Cup Rhythm and Sound as Content Children s Literature 19 1 138 147 doi 10 1353 chl 0 0452 Project MUSE 246230 Arnold Lobel Groiler Multimedia Encyclopedia Bader Barbara 2015 Five Gay Picture Book Prodigies and the Difference They ve Made Horn Book Magazine 91 2 24 32 Russell David L 2006 The Important Books Children s Picture Books as Art and Literature review The Lion and the Unicorn 30 2 280 283 doi 10 1353 uni 2006 0025 S2CID 144058348 ProQuest 196693 admin 1999 11 30 Caldecott Medal Winners 1938 Present Association for Library Service to Children ALSC Retrieved 2019 05 14 Horn Book reviews of Caldecott Medal winners 1980 1989 The Horn Book www hbook com Retrieved 2019 05 14 Caldecott Medal amp Honor Books 1938 Present www ala org American Library Association Retrieved 8 February 2015 Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1922 Present Association for Library Service to Children ALSC www ala org Retrieved 2016 01 19 External links editArnold Lobel at Library of Congress with 109 library catalog records Adrianne Lobel at LC Authorities with 4 catalog records Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arnold Lobel amp oldid 1174619830, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
