Every generation had its own beloved children's authors. For Hazel it was Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, and Shannon Hale. For me I remember loving Beatrix Potter, Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I remember loving Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad as well. I also loved the Paddington series. Of course there are also the other classics like Dr. Seuss. Today we are sharing a fun new book about Arnold Lobel and his amazing books. The book is Outside In and the Inside Out: A Story about Arnold Lobel by Emmy Kastner. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
A thoughtful and whimsical picture book about Arnold Lobel, award-winning creator of Frog and Toad.Arnold Lobel was many things: a quiet observer, an avid reader, and the kind of man who kept a gorilla suit in his closet, just in case. Above all else, Arnold was an artist and a storyteller. And he infused pieces of himself in the characters he created. This made sharing his books with the world scary sometimes—but his stories would go on to inspire and delight readers and live on in their hearts for generations.
A rare window into the life and work of Arnold Lobel, creator of the Frog and Toad series, Outside In and the Inside Out captures the iconic creator of some of the most beloved children’s books of all time.
From Me:
This is a biography like no other. It is fun and atypical. In fact, it even starts discussing how it is starting different than most biographies. It starts with Arnold having wet socks and what that led to. I love how the book shares glimpses of Arnold's life without being full of details like dates and such. Instead, it is a fun story about Arnold's childhood and life that lead him to be an artist and author. It shares his childhood illness which led to storytelling and then his personality of observer. He loved stories and reading. He wanted to create art and went to school to learn how. He fell in love and got married with another artist. They had a family and Arnold realized that the business world was not for him. He began illustrating books and eventually wrote his own books. He put a lot of himself in his illustrations and stories. He enjoyed sharing stories with children.
The book is colorful and fun just like Arnold's books were. It takes us through his life and shares many different parts of him just as he did in his books. Throughout the book the theme of the outside coming in and the inside coming out is mentioned--in his life as well as in his stories. It is a fun story that will get readers wanting to read more of Arnold Lobel's books. I know I want to go to the library and check out a Frog and Toad story.
This book is perfect for story time at school or the library with a study of authors. It is also perfect for story time at home. At the end of the book is the author's note that shares more details about Arnold's life. It also has a Lobel Bibliography listing the books that Arnold Lobel wrote and illustrated, and the books illustrated by Arnold. The book is a wonderful look into the life of a well-known children's author. It is interesting and fun. Kids will enjoy hearing his story. The book will be perfect for doing a study on him and his stories.
