Арнольд Лобел - Frog and Toad / Квак и Жаб. 3-4 классы

Frog looked out of the window at Toad’s mailbox. The snail was not there yet.

“But, Toad,” said Frog, “someone may send you a letter today!”

“Don’t be silly!” said Toad, “No one sent me a letter before, and no one will send me a letter today.”

Frog looked out of the window at Toad’s mailbox. The snail was still not there.

“Frog,” asked Toad, “why are you looking out of the window all the time?”

“Because now I am waiting for the mail,” answered Frog.

“But there will be no mail,” said Toad.

“Oh, yes, there will,” said Frog, “because I sent you a letter!”

“Really?” cried Toad. “What did you write in the letter?”

“I wrote,” said Frog, “’Dear Toad, I am glad that you are my best friend. Your best friend, Frog.’”

“Oh,” said Toad, “that is a very good letter.”

Then Frog and Toad went outside to wait for the mail. They sat there, feeling happy together.

Frog and Toad waited for a long time. Four days later the snail came to Toad’s house and gave him the letter from Frog. Toad was very happy to get it.

One morning Toad sat in the bed.

“I have many things to do today,” he said. “I will write them all on a list so that I can remember them.”

Toad wrote on a piece of paper:

A list of things to do today

Then he wrote: Wake up

“I have done that,” said Toad and he crossed out: Wake Up

Then Toad wrote other things on the paper.

Eat Breakfast

Get dressed

Go to Frog’s house

Go for a walk with Frog

Eat lunch

Take nap

Play game with Frog

Eat supper

Go to sleep

“Good,” said Toad. “Now my day is all planned.”

He got out of bed and had breakfast. Then Toad crossed out: Eat Breakfast

Toad took his clothes and got dressed. Then he crossed out: Get dressed

Toad put the list in his pocket. He opened the door and went to Frog’s house. Soon Toad was at Frog’s door. He took the list from his pocket and crossed out: Go to Frog’s house

Toad knocked at the door. “Hello,” said Frog. “Look at my list of things to do,” said Toad.

“Oh,” said Frog, “that is very nice.”

Toad said, “My list tells me that now we will go for a walk.”

“All right,” said Frog. “I am ready.”

Frog and Toad went on a long walk.

Then Toad took the list from his pocket again. He crossed out: Go for a walk with Frog

Just then there was a strong wind. It blew the list out of Toad’s hand. The list flew high up into the air.

“Help!” cried Toad. “My list is flying away! What will I do now without my list?”

“Hurry!” said Frog. “We will run and catch it.”

“No!” cried Toad. “I cannot do that.”

“Why not?” asked Frog.

“Because,” cried Toad, “it was not on my list of things to do!”

Frog ran after the list. He ran and ran, but the list flew and flew.

At last Frog came back to Toad.

“I am sorry,” said Frog, “but I could not catch your list.”

“Oh, no,” said Toad. “I cannot remember the things that were on my list of things to do. Now I will just sit here and do nothing.”

Toad sat and did nothing. Frog sat with him.

After a long time Frog said, “Toad, it is dark. We should go to sleep now.”

“Go to sleep!” cried Toad. “That was the last thing on my list!”

Toad wrote on the ground with a stick: Go to sleep

Then he crossed out: Go to sleep

“Good,” said Toad. “Now my day is all crossed out!”

“I am glad,” said Frog.

Then Frog and Toad went to sleep.

Frog was in his garden. Toad came to visit.

“What a nice garden you have, Frog,” he said.

“Yes,” said Frog. “It is very nice, but it was very hard work.”

“I want to have a garden, too,” said Toad.

“Here are some flower seeds. Plant them in the ground,” said Frog, “and soon you will have a garden.”

“How soon?” asked Toad.

“Very soon,” said Frog.

Toad ran home. He planted the flower seeds.

“Now seeds,” said Toad, “start growing.”

Toad walked around them a few times. The seeds did not start to grow.

Toad put his head to the ground and said loudly, “Now seeds, start growing!”

Toad looked at the ground again. The seeds did not start to grow.

Toad put his head to the ground and shouted “NOW SEEDS, START GROWING!”

Frog came to Toad.

“What is this noise?” he asked.

“My seeds do not want to grow,” said Toad.

“You shout too loudly,” said Frog. “These poor seeds are afraid to grow.”

“My seeds are afraid to grow?” asked Toad.

“Of course,” said Frog. “Leave them alone for a few days. Let the sun shine on them, let the rain fall on them. Soon your seeds will start to grow.”

That night Toad looked out of his window.

“Oh, no!” said Toad. “My seeds still do not want grow. Maybe they are afraid of the dark.”

Toad went to his garden with some candles.

“I will read my seeds a story,” said Toad. “Then they will not be afraid.”

Toad read a long story to his seeds.

All the next day Toad sang songs to his seeds.

And all the next day Toad read poems to his seeds.

And all the next day Toad played music for his seeds.

Toad looked at the ground. The seeds still did not start to grow.

“What shall I do?” cried Toad. “These are the most frightened seeds in the world!”

Toad was very tired, and he went to sleep.

“Toad, Toad, wake up,” said Frog. “Look at your garden!”

Toad looked at his garden. Little green plants were growing out of the ground.

“At last!” shouted Toad. “My seeds are not afraid to grow!”

“And now you will have a nice garden too,” said Frog. “It was very hard work.”

Toad made some cookies.

“These cookies smell very good,” said Toad. He ate one. “And they taste very good, too,” he said.

Toad ran to Frog’s house. “Frog, Frog,” cried Toad, “taste these cookies that I made.”

Frog ate one cookie.

“These are the best cookies in the world!” said Frog.

So Frog and Toad ate many cookies.

“You know, Toad,” said Frog, eating a cookie, “I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick.”

“You are right,” said Toad. “Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop.” Frog and Toad ate one last cookie.

There were still many cookies left.

“Frog,” said Toad, “let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop.”

Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie.

“We must stop eating!” cried Toad, eating another cookie.

“Yes,” said Frog, eating another cookie too, “we need will power.”

“What is will power?” asked Toad.

“Will power is trying hard not to do something that you really want to do,” said Frog.

Frog put the cookies in a box.

“Now,” he said, “we will not eat any more cookies.”

“But we can open the box,” said Toad.

“That is true,” said Frog.

Frog put the box on a high shelf.

“Now,” said Frog, “we will not eat any more cookies.”

“But we can take the box from the shelf and open the box,” said Toad.

“That is true,” said Frog.

Frog took the box from the shelf and opened it. Then he took the box outside. He shouted loudly, “BIRDS! HERE ARE COOKIES!”

Birds came from everywhere. They took all the cookies and flew away.

“Now we have no more cookies to eat,” said Toad sadly.

“Yes,” said Frog, “but we have a lot of will power.”

“You can have all the will power, Frog,” said Toad. “But I am going home now to make a cake.”

Frog and Toad read a book together.

“The people in this book are brave,” said Toad. “They fight dragons and giants, and they are never afraid!”

“Are we brave too?” asked Frog.

Frog and Toad looked into a mirror.

“We look brave,” said Frog.

“Yes, but are we?” asked Toad.

Frog and Toad went outside.

“We can climb this mountain,” said Frog. “That will tell us if we are brave.”

Frog jumped over rocks, and Toad jumped behind him. They came to a dark cave. A big snake came out of the cave.

“Hello lunch,” said the snake when he saw Frog and Toad. He opened his big mouth. Frog and Toad jumped away.

Toad was shaking. “I am not afraid!” he cried.

They went higher, and they heard a loud noise. Many big stones were rolling down the mountain.

“It’s an avalanche!” cried Toad.

Frog and Toad jumped away.

Frog was shaking. “I am not afraid!” he cried.

They came to the top of the mountain. There was a hawk above them. Frog and Toad jumped under a rock. The hawk flew away.

“We are not afraid!” cried Frog and Toad together.

Then they ran down the mountain very fast. They ran all the way to Toad’s house.

“Frog, I am glad to have a brave friend like you,” said Toad. He jumped into the bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

“And I am happy to have a brave friend like you, Toad,” said Frog. He jumped into the closet and shut the door.

Toad stayed in the bed, and Frog stayed in the closet. They stayed there for a long time, feeling very brave together.

Toad was asleep, and he had a dream. He was on a stage, and he was in a costume. Toad looked into the dark. Frog was sitting in the theatre.

A strange voice said, “PRESENTING THE GREATEST TOAD IN THE WORLD!”

Toad bowed.

Frog looked small as he shouted, “Hooray for Toad!”

“TOAD WILL NOW PLAY THE PIANO VERY WELL,” said the strange voice.

Toad played the piano, and he did not miss a note.

“Frog,” cried Toad, “can you play the piano like this?”

“No,” said Frog.

Now Frog looked even smaller.

“TOAD WILL NOW WALK ON A HIGH WIRE, AND HE WILL NOT FALL DOWN,” said the voice.

Toad walked on the high wire.

“Frog,” cried Toad, “can you do tricks like this?”

“No,” answered Frog, who looked very, very small.

“TOAD WILL NOW DANCE, AND HE WILL BE WONDERFUL,” said the voice.

“Frog, can you dance like me?” said Toad as he danced wonderfully on the stage.

There was no answer.

Toad looked into the theatre. Frog was so small that he could not see or hear him anymore.

“Frog, where are you?” cried Toad.

Then the voice said: “THE GREATEST TOAD WILL NOW…”

“Shut up!” cried Toad. “Frog, Frog, where ARE YOU?”

Toad was now in the dark.

“Come back, Frog,” he cried. “I will be lonely!”

“I am here,” said Frog.

Frog was standing near Toad’s bed.

“Wake up, Toad,” he said.

“Frog, is that really you?” asked Toad.

“Yes, I think so,” said Frog.

Toad looked at the sun shining outside.

“Frog,” he said, “I am so glad that you are here.”

“I always am,” said Frog.

Then Frog and Toad ate a big breakfast. And after that they had a fine, long day together.