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EDUCATOR’S GUIDE

Northeast Childrens Theatre Company

Winter/Spring 2014 !

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Arnold Lobel wrote and illustrated many, many books during his lifetime. His drawings of cats, mice, pigs, and other animals are favorites of children everywhere. Arnold grew up in Schenectady, New York, where he lived with his grandparents. When he was young he was often sick, and

missed many days in the kindergarten, first and second grades. When he came back to school in third grade he told stories and drew pictures to illustrate them to enter-tain his classmates. He found this to be a good way to make friends. Arnold once said that taking books out of the library was one of the things he loved to do most when he was a child. As a teenager he was still interested in children's books, and when he went to art school he listed "illustrating" as his main interest. At first most of his work was illustrating other authors' books, but eventually he began to write his own. When he graduated from art school, he married Anita Kempler, and had

two children, Adam and Adrianne. (Adrianne Lobel helped create the show you will see, designing the original Broadway sets and helping to shape the show with the composer and lyricist.) Arnold’s first famous book was Frog and Toad are Friends. The book was funny and tender and won immediate acclaim. It was named as a Caldecott Honor book, among other honors. But the Frog and Toad books were just the beginning of a long list of early readers written and illustrated by this talented man. Like the first, they are made up of short chapters and contain lovable and slightly wacky characters! http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3077

A PA PA PA PREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW OFOFOFOF “A Y“A Y“A Y“A YEAREAREAREAR WITHWITHWITHWITH FFFFROGROGROGROG ANDANDANDAND TTTTOADOADOADOAD”””” Frog and Toad are best friends. We meet them as they wake up from their long winter's nap, called hibernation, to begin another year together. Throughout the year they do many fun things like baking cookies, going swimming, flying a kite, and sledding down a snowy hill. Frog is always happy and positive. But Toad can be grumpy, especially when his mailbox is empty. Frog tries to cheer up Toad by writing him a letter and giving it to Snail to deliver A.S.A.P., but doesn’t realize how long the delivery will take! Frog and Toad are joined by the rest of the animal gang and have fun together all year long. Sometimes they are sad and sometimes they get angry, but in the end they always remember that they are best friends who care about each other very much.

Frog and Toad on Broadway!Frog and Toad on Broadway!Frog and Toad on Broadway!Frog and Toad on Broadway!

A hit on Broadway, A Year with Frog and Toad was nominated for three Tony Awards in 2003: Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. The show is truly a family affair; the stage musical was adapted from

Arnold Lobel’s award winning children’s stories by his daughter Adrianne Lobel, and the book, music, and lyrics were written by

brothers Robert and Willie Reale.

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An interview with Adrianne Lobel, taken from An interview with Adrianne Lobel, taken from An interview with Adrianne Lobel, taken from An interview with Adrianne Lobel, taken from the StageNOTES study guide who produced the StageNOTES study guide who produced the StageNOTES study guide who produced the StageNOTES study guide who produced Frog Frog Frog Frog and Toad and Toad and Toad and Toad on Broadway.on Broadway.on Broadway.on Broadway. Adrianne Lobel is the set designer of A Year A Year A Year A Year With Frog and Toad.With Frog and Toad.With Frog and Toad.With Frog and Toad. She is also the daughter of Arnold Lobel, the author of the original Frog and Toad books. Here she speaks about her relation-ship to the characters and her role in developing the show. StageNOTESª: StageNOTESª: StageNOTESª: StageNOTESª: It’s been said that you wereIt’s been said that you wereIt’s been said that you wereIt’s been said that you were partly responsible for inspiring your father topartly responsible for inspiring your father topartly responsible for inspiring your father topartly responsible for inspiring your father to write the Frog and Toad books. What happened?write the Frog and Toad books. What happened?write the Frog and Toad books. What happened?write the Frog and Toad books. What happened? ADRIANNE LOBEL: ADRIANNE LOBEL: ADRIANNE LOBEL: ADRIANNE LOBEL: It was sometime in the mid-sixties. My family and I were summering by a lake in Vermont. One day I came in from the woods with a small animal in the palm of my hand. "What a nice frog you have there," said my father. "This is not a frog," I replied. "This is a toad." And I explained all of the differences in appearance and life style between these two amphibians. Not long after that the first Frog and Toad book was born! I like to think I planted the seed of their creation in my father’s head. SN: SN: SN: SN: When did you decide to make the Frog and When did you decide to make the Frog and When did you decide to make the Frog and When did you decide to make the Frog and Toad books into a musical?Toad books into a musical?Toad books into a musical?Toad books into a musical? AL: AL: AL: AL: It has been in my head for a long time. Of all my father’s books, these seemed to lend themselves best to dramatization. Most of his books have one eccentric character — usually an animal of some kind who tends to live alone and has encounters with others but not long relationships. Frog and Toad have the strongest and most developed relationship. I envisioned the show as an intimate vaudeville-style musical with jazzy thirties-style sound. The songs, like my father’s writing, should not condescend to children but should have an articulate cleverness and a sophistication that would appeal to children and their parents. SN: SN: SN: SN: Could you discuss the process of adapting Could you discuss the process of adapting Could you discuss the process of adapting Could you discuss the process of adapting Frog and Toad for the stage?Frog and Toad for the stage?Frog and Toad for the stage?Frog and Toad for the stage? AL: AL: AL: AL: Being a visual person, I think I started with what I thought the show should look like. I knew I wanted Frog and Toad to look like elegant

gentlemen — that the actors would wear their own faces, not big rubber heads. Then I saw a show at the New Victory [theater] when it first opened, and I sat looking at the theater the whole evening thinking: "This is it! This is where we must do a musical of Frog and Toad." It was the old vaudeville quality of the house that helped me come up with the idea for the theatrical adaptation. If you think of it, Frog and Toad are like Fred Astaire (Frog) and Edward Everett Horton (Toad), or Bing Crosby (Frog) and Bob Hope (Toad). I thought: "a lot of soft shoe —Babitt and the Bromide–type stuff with old-fashioned scenery, painted legs and drops." And the music could be based on the musicals my father and I loved from the thirties and forties. So when I approached [writer and composer] Wil-lie and Rob Reale, that was what we talked about. SN: What was your approach to the visual design SN: What was your approach to the visual design SN: What was your approach to the visual design SN: What was your approach to the visual design of the show?of the show?of the show?of the show? AL: I didn’t want to take the book illustrations and stick them on the stage. My father’s water-colors were limpid; they looked loose, but they’re not easy. I studied his work very carefully, so I’d have to warm up my hand to do his work, which is very fluid and facile, in the best sense. SN: Do you think your father would be happy SN: Do you think your father would be happy SN: Do you think your father would be happy SN: Do you think your father would be happy with the musical?with the musical?with the musical?with the musical? AL: AL: AL: AL: I certainly hope so. I think he would be tickled to know that I did it. I know he would love that it played on 42nd Street — though he never did see the rejuvenation of the block. And he was a great fan of [actor] Mark Linn-Baker [who is also Lobel’s husband] so he would have liked to see Mark as Toad. He was a big theater fan and somewhat of a frustrated actor himself. I was scared at first that I might be selling his soul down the river. But I really think he’d be thrilled.

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Each of the songs and scenes in A Year With Frog and Toad corresponds directly to a story from the Frog and Toad books. These stories are strung together to fill the year that passes during the show. Below you will find a list of the books in the Frog & Toad series and the stories within each book that will be enacted in the show. (All books written by Arnold Lobel) Frog and Toad Are Friends Frog and Toad Are Friends Frog and Toad Are Friends Frog and Toad Are Friends Frog and Toad TogetherFrog and Toad TogetherFrog and Toad TogetherFrog and Toad Together Spring, A Swim, The Letter Spring, A Swim, The Letter Spring, A Swim, The Letter Spring, A Swim, The Letter The Garden, CookiesThe Garden, CookiesThe Garden, CookiesThe Garden, Cookies

Frog and Toad All Year Frog and Toad All Year Frog and Toad All Year Frog and Toad All Year Days With Frog and ToadDays With Frog and ToadDays With Frog and ToadDays With Frog and Toad Down the Hill, The Surprise, Christmas Eve Down the Hill, The Surprise, Christmas Eve Down the Hill, The Surprise, Christmas Eve Down the Hill, The Surprise, Christmas Eve The Kite, Shivers, AloneThe Kite, Shivers, AloneThe Kite, Shivers, AloneThe Kite, Shivers, Alone

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD FRWHAT MAKES A GOOD FRWHAT MAKES A GOOD FRWHAT MAKES A GOOD FRIEND?IEND?IEND?IEND? Student Activity SheetStudent Activity SheetStudent Activity SheetStudent Activity Sheet Answer the following questions about a good friend of yours.Answer the following questions about a good friend of yours.Answer the following questions about a good friend of yours.Answer the following questions about a good friend of yours. My good friend’s name is____________________________________________________________. My good friend is___________________________________________________________________. My good friend and I like to_________________________________________________________. My good friend and I have fun when_________________________________________________. My good friend and I laugh when____________________________________________________. My good friend and I go_____________________________________________________________. My good friend helps me with _______________________________________________________. My friend is like me in these ways:___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________. My friend is different from me in these ways__________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________. Other words that describe my good friend are_________________________________________. In the space below, draw a picture of your friend.In the space below, draw a picture of your friend.In the space below, draw a picture of your friend.In the space below, draw a picture of your friend.

THEMES TO FOLLOW: THEMES TO FOLLOW: THEMES TO FOLLOW: THEMES TO FOLLOW: FFFFRIENDSHIPRIENDSHIPRIENDSHIPRIENDSHIP (PA S(PA S(PA S(PA STANDARDTANDARDTANDARDTANDARD 1.2, 1.5)1.2, 1.5)1.2, 1.5)1.2, 1.5)

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SSSSUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTED AAAACTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITY; S; S; S; STORYBOARDSTORYBOARDSTORYBOARDSTORYBOARDS (PA S(PA S(PA S(PA STANDARDSTANDARDSTANDARDSTANDARDS 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 9.1)1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 9.1)1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 9.1)1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 9.1) Give your students copies of the images below. Now have the students pair off and choose an image from the storyboard. Beginning in the same position as the characters (in a frozen image), invite them to enact or create another frozen image of what they think may happen next. Allow the im-provisations to run 2-5 minutes, guiding the students as necessary.

SSSSUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTED AAAACTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITY: W: W: W: WHATHATHATHAT MMMMAKESAKESAKESAKES AAAA GGGGOODOODOODOOD FFFFRIENDRIENDRIENDRIEND? (PA S? (PA S? (PA S? (PA STANDARDSTANDARDSTANDARDSTANDARDS 1.3, 1.6, 9.1)1.3, 1.6, 9.1)1.3, 1.6, 9.1)1.3, 1.6, 9.1) Invite the class to give examples of things that good friends to together. As the students share, note some of the activities or key terms of the board. Examples might include: sharing, helping, having fun together, etc.

Now place the students in pairs and ask them to find their own space in the room. Explain that you will call out a term or phrase from the board and count backwards from ten. In that time, they must decide together what they are doing and how to show it in a frozen picture. For example, if the word is sharing, the students have ten seconds to choose something they are sharing and show what the object looks like in a frozen image. After ten seconds, pick several groups to tell what they are sharing and why. The other groups may relax their picture while others share. Now, regroup the students and ask them to generate ideas about when it is hard to be a friend. Record these answers on the board. Examples might be: when you are sick, tired, jealous, etc. Re-peat the frozen image/picture exercise with them using these ideas. What did you discover about friendship? What did you see in the images you and your classmates created? What other words would you like to add to the lists on the board?

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TTTTHEMEHEMEHEMEHEME TOTOTOTO FFFFOLLOWOLLOWOLLOWOLLOW: F: F: F: FROGSROGSROGSROGS ANDANDANDAND TTTTOADSOADSOADSOADS

SSSSUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTED AAAACTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITY: L: L: L: LIFEIFEIFEIFE CCCCYCLESYCLESYCLESYCLES: F: F: F: FROMROMROMROM EEEEGGGGGGGG TOTOTOTO FFFFROGROGROGROG (PA S(PA S(PA S(PA STANDARDTANDARDTANDARDTANDARD 4.1)4.1)4.1)4.1) Hand out the metamorphosis chart and go over the stages with your students. Have them color in the stages on their own. Now ask your students to find a place on the floor that is far enough away from others that they may spread out. Lead them through the following life cycle movement exercise: Imagine you are in a small egg that has just been laid on the bottom of the pond. Feel your surrounding shell. How far will it let you move? Slowly, you being to grow a tail. What does it feel like to have a tail? Can you wiggle it? You are strong enough now to break through your shell. You have become a round tadpole with no neck. How does it feel not to have a neck? Look around at your new surroundings in your pond. What can you see? How does the water feel on your skin? What can you hear? Now you are hungry! Find some plants and small animals to eat. Don’t eat your fellow tadpoles! You’re all in this together! Now you are ready to lose your tail and develop 4 frog legs. Feel your tail shrink and slowly let your legs grow out of your body. Move about the space and experience what it feels like to move on legs that have never carried you before. How do you travel, fast or slow, with large movements or small? You are a full-grown frog, but now you are tired. Find a place where you’d like to hibernate for the winter and take a nice long nap!

Many people don’t know the difference between frogs and toads. They are quite different animals, although they belong to the same animal group. FFFFROGSROGSROGSROGS ! Need to live near water ! Have smooth, moist skin that

makes them look “slimy”. ! Have a narrow body ! Have higher, rounder, bulgier eyes ! Have longer hind legs ! Take long high jumps ! Have many predators TTTTOADSOADSOADSOADS:::: ! Do not need to live near water to

survive ! Have rough, dry, bumpy skin ! Have a wider body ! Have lower, football shaped eyes ! Have shorter, less powerful hind

legs ! Will run or take small hops rather

than jump ! Do not have many predators. Toad’s

skin lets out a bitter taste and smell that burns the eyes and nos-trils of its predators, much like a skunk does.

DID YOU KNOW!? Neither frogs nor toads, will give you warts! That is just a myth.DID YOU KNOW!? Neither frogs nor toads, will give you warts! That is just a myth.DID YOU KNOW!? Neither frogs nor toads, will give you warts! That is just a myth.DID YOU KNOW!? Neither frogs nor toads, will give you warts! That is just a myth. http://www.kidzone.ws/lw/frogs/facts8.htm

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TTTTHEMEHEMEHEMEHEME TOTOTOTO FFFFOLLOWOLLOWOLLOWOLLOW: S: S: S: SEASONSEASONSEASONSEASONS A Year With Frog and Toad takes place over the course of one year in the lives of Frog and Toad, and spans the four seasons. Please refer to the mosaic poster on the front cover, which also goes through the seasons! SPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRING The Birds come to wake up Frog and Toad from their winter slumber. Toad does not believe it is spring already. After waking up from a long winter nap, Toad finds his good friend planting a gar-den. Toad decides to make a garden but grows quite impatient at his slowpoke seeds. Frog explains that seeds need patience and if he were a seed he would not want to grow for someone who is yell-ing at him. Toad apologizes and becomes a kind gardener who protects the seeds. He sings, dances and plays tuba for them. He falls asleep and to his surprise tiny sprouts appear in the morning. Toad is ecstatic, except he has no mail. Frog decides to write his friend a letter and sends it by his friend Snail to deliver ASAP. SUMMERSUMMERSUMMERSUMMER The two friends decide to go for a swim. Toad looks funny in a bathing suit and Frog respectfully turns his eyes when Toad climbs into the water. But, the other animals tease Toad. The day turns out jolly at the expense of Toad and his very silly suit. Later that day, Toad decides to invite Frog on a picnic, but Toad finds a note on Frog’s doors saying that Frog has gone away to be alone. Toad begins to worry so much that Frog is upset with him that he drops their picnic in the water. Frog is fine, he just likes to think about things that make him happy and the thing that makes him the most happy is that he has Toad for a friend. FALLFALLFALLFALL Frog and Toad do all kinds of fun activities with each other; bake cookies, fly kites, rake leaves and tell stories. One stormy night, Frog decides it’s the perfect night for a ghost story and he begins to tell Toad about the time he was on a picnic with his family and they got lost in the woods. They left him alone while they looked for the way out. Frog was very frightened of the large terrible frog that lives in the woods, who likes to eat frog children for dessert. He ties up the big frog when it approaches and he and his parents go home. WINTERWINTERWINTERWINTER Frog and Toad enjoy sledding adventures together. Toad’s letter from Frog finally arrives. Toad is very touched by the letter from his friend. On Christmas Eve, Toad fears something terrible has happened to Frog because he is late. But when Frog arrives, Toad finds out that he was late be-cause he was wrapping Toad’s present. FFFFURTHERURTHERURTHERURTHER DDDDISCUSSIONISCUSSIONISCUSSIONISCUSSION:::: Discuss the four seasons of the year and their characteristics with your students, including weather and outdoor activities associated with each. What is a favorite activity to do with your family or friends in each particular season? What is your favorite season and why? http://www.teachervision.fen.com/seasons/teacher-resources/6663.html

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SSSSUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTEDUGGESTED AAAACTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITYCTIVITY: W: W: W: WITHITHITHITH EEEEVERYVERYVERYVERY SSSSEASONEASONEASONEASON, T, T, T, TURNURNURNURN, T, T, T, TURNURNURNURN, T, T, T, TURNURNURNURN (PA A(PA A(PA A(PA ACADEMICCADEMICCADEMICCADEMIC SSSSTANDARDTANDARDTANDARDTANDARD 3.3a.5 )3.3a.5 )3.3a.5 )3.3a.5 ) Create a large table on the board (See below). Write the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) across the top of the table, and the following words as rows on the left side: months, weather, holidays, and activities. As a class, brainstorm facts about each of the four seasons: In which months does the season occur and the various holidays (include the dates) that fall in that season? What is the weather like and what activities do students like to do during these seasons? MMMMATERIALSATERIALSATERIALSATERIALS:::: Pass out four (4) sheets of white paper (for the book pages), two (2) colored sheets of construction paper (for the book cover and back page), and old magazines. IIIINSTRUCTIONSNSTRUCTIONSNSTRUCTIONSNSTRUCTIONS:::: ! Have students label each of the four white sheets of paper with each season: SPRING, SUMMER, FALL and WINTER. ! Then, have students find images in the magazines that represent each of the seasons, cut them

out, and glue them onto the white paper. ! When students have completed this process, they can draw a background and other relevant

seasonal items on the paper, and write one or two sentences to describe the season at the bot-tom of each page.

! Create a cover page that includes a title, the student’s name and a picture that reflects their

favorite seasonal activity. ! Once the books are finished, have students tell a partner what their favorite season is and why.

Give students time to read their books to a friend or share their season books with the class.

Spring Summer Fall Winter

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TTTTHEMEHEMEHEMEHEME TOTOTOTO FFFFOLLOWOLLOWOLLOWOLLOW: T: T: T: TELLINGELLINGELLINGELLING TIMETIMETIMETIME WHAT TIME IS IT? (PA Standard 2.3)WHAT TIME IS IT? (PA Standard 2.3)WHAT TIME IS IT? (PA Standard 2.3)WHAT TIME IS IT? (PA Standard 2.3) Toad never knows what time it is because his clock is broken. Have your students practice telling time on a clock with hands. Draw five blank clocks (circles with lines or the numbers 1 - 12 for each of the hours). Write the following times under the blank clocks (one for each): 1:00, 5:45, 8:10, 9:30, 11:20. Now have your students draw the hands on each clock where they would be to represent that time. Once they get these times drawn, try more times. Place the students in pairs to play a time game. Have them draw some blank clocks and give each other times to draw on the clocks, or draw the hands on the clocks first and then look at the drawings and write down the times.