This essayist (who took Professor Nel's class in the Spring of 2000) selected the option to write a new Frog and Toad story and offer a two-page explanation for why is should be considered a classic Frog and Toad tale. The story appears first, followed by the essay. (The essay's thesis appears at the end of the first paragraph.)

The Picture
 
Toad sat at his table coloring a picture. "Frog will love this picture I am coloring for him," he said. Then, his crayon broke into two pieces. "Oh, no!" cried Toad. "How will I fix this?" he asked. "I know that Frog will know how to fix my crayon."
 
Toad put on his jacket and took the crayon over to Frog's house. "Frog," he cried, "I broke my crayon and I can not get it back together. Can you please fix it?"
 
"Oh," said Frog, "I have an idea of how to fix it." Toad and Frog went inside. Toad sat down at Frog's table, and Frog went to get some tape. After Frog had put the two pieces together he wrapped a small piece of tape around the crayon.
"There," he said, "Good as new." Toad thanked Frog and went home. Right away he started to color again. After a few minutes the crayon broke again!
 
"Blah!" Toad said. He went back to Frog's house. "Frog! Frog!" he cried. "My crayon broke again!"
 
"Well," Frog said, "I can think of another way to fix it." Frog sat down on his front steps to think. After a while he turned to Toad and said, "I know what to do."
 
Frog pulled a bottle of glue out of the same drawer where the tape was from and put some on one end of the broken crayon. Then he attached the other end to it.
 
"I fixed it, but you will have to hold the crayon straight up so that it will stay together." "Oh, thank you, Frog," Toad said. Toad walked home slowly with the crayon straight up in the air so that it would not come apart.
 
Once he was home he began to color again. The crayon broke again! Just then Frog knocked on the door. Toad answered and said, "Frog, my crayon broke again!"
 
"Well, I do not know what to do now," Frog said. So together they sat to think. Finally, Toad turned to Frog and said, "I think I will just use another color."
 
Toad went over and sat down to color again. After a few minutes he handed the picture to Frog and said, "It's a picture for you." "Toad, it's beautiful. I never knew I could be so many different colors!"
 

TO: Mr. Phil Nel, Editor for HarperCollins Publishing
 
Mr. Nel,
 
While I was recently sorting through the archives at HarperCollins Publishing I came across this classic Frog and Toad story that I am sure you would be interested in. After reading it I was astonished to find out that it had never been published. I would like to take this opportunity to give you the chance to publish this "missing" Frog and Toad story. You may be wondering what is so great about it, and I have several reasons that this story is a publisher's dream. The Frog and Toad story "The Picture" exemplifies a classic friendship that solves a problem simply while relating an implied moral to young children.
 
The work of Arnold Lobel and the Frog and Toad series has appealed to young readers for quite some time. The simplicity in vocabulary in this story makes it easier for children to related to this story and understand it by using short words and phrases. For example, in the second paragraph of the story Toad says, "I broke my crayon and I can not get it back together. Can you please fix it?" Both of these phrases are short and do not contain large words, which is a compliment to all readers, reinforcing the idea that good stories do not have to contain difficult language or long sentences to be comprehended. Several of Lobel's works have been categorized as "An I Can Read Book," meaning that they are age appropriate for teaching and learning how to read. I feel that this story was written in the same manner, with beginning and transitioning readers in mind. This story contains approximately 350 words in it, making its length relatively short, but meaningful, for readers. The subject matter of coloring pictures also makes this possible. Children love to color, and at young ages they sometimes can and do break crayons without the knowledge of how to "fix" them, just as Toad does in "The Picture." Often times children area also coloring with a purpose, and it is usually a picture to take home to their guardians to become treasured "refrigerator art." In this story, Toad is no different, and we find that he is also coloring with a purpose from his first sentence when he says, "Frog will love this picture I am coloring for him." These examples support and reinforce the idea of Toad's actions being like that of a child's, and Lobel has used this idea to create a story that young readers will enjoy reading time and again.
 
Problem solving is also a very important piece of this story. Many times children are faced with problems that they cannot solve and need someone else's help. In this story Toad depends on Frog to help him fix his broken crayon. As simple as this problem may be to us, it is a huge deal to a child, as it is to Toad in "The Picture." Children often seek out the help and advice of others, usually their friends, to help them figure out a way to solve the problem in question. Toad also seeks out the help of his friend with this problem when he says, "I know that Frog will know how to fix my crayon." I believe that the way Toad handles the problem of his broken crayon, his thought process and actions, are much like a small child's. For example, after the crayon breaks for the third time, both Frog and Toad have to "sit together and think" about how to fix the crayon, much as children sometimes sit and think with each other about what to do next. In realizing this, it is quite simple to understand why children love these stories so much. Frog and Toad portray young children as they really are, innocent in behavior and energetic to solve their own problems. This is clearly seen in Frog's behavior when, after already fixing the crayon once, he says to Toad, "'Well,' Frog said, 'I can think of another way to fix it.' Frog sat down on his front steps to think. After a while he turned to Toad and said, 'I know what to do.'" It is very apparent that Frog is willing to do all he can to help his friend.
 
This story also has an excellent implied moral that is a trademark of Lobel's literature. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to fix something, to use something else works out better. And Toad figures this out close to the end of the story when he says to Frog, "I think I will just use another color." After all the struggle Toad goes through to fix his crayon he finally realizes that it is okay to use another one. And when he gives the picture to Frog, I believe Toad realizes that Frog will love the picture no matter what color he is. He understands this because Frog says to him, "Toad, it's beautiful. I never knew I could be so many different colors!" Another reason that this sentence is so wonderful is that it also conveys a sense of diversity that has not been normally seen in Lobel's work. Frog sees himself as a variety of colors, and children can relate to that in knowing that they are not all the same, and that is okay. This example also reinforces the idea that for Frog and Toad it is their friendship that counts for the most in their lives, regardless of what color (or in this case, what type of amphibian) you are. The enduring friendship of Frog and Toad is another one of Lobel's classic implied morals that shines through in every Frog and Toad story.
 
Mr. Nel, I am confident that when you read this story you will see that the examples I have provided compliment this story very well. Mr. Lobel worked very hard on this story to ensure that this classic tale of friendship and simplicity would make an enjoyable learning experience. This recently found tale of Frog and Toad's "The Picture" deserves to be published and seen with all of the other Frog and Toad stories to continue the lifelong quest of providing young readers with realistic and appropriate stories that they can relate to and share with each other. I encourage you to call me with any questions you may have about this delightful story. I would be honored to assist you to help make this story as well read and recognized as other Frog and Toad stories.
 
Respectfully yours,
 
Regina M. Munoz
 
Regina M. Munoz

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