Working in advertising agencies, and hated it. GD: How did you begin writing for children?ĪL: Well, I began writing for children because IĬouldn't do anything else. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and children. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Īrnold Lobel is the author and illustrator of over sixteenĬhildren's books, including the prize-winning Frog and ToadĪre Friends, Frog and Toad Together, and Mouse Tales. Following the major developmental phases from infancy to old age, the author lucidly explores those vital aspects of experience, which promote mental and emotional growth and those which impede it. This book provides a perspective on the relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the nature of human development, which is not currently available in written form. In so doing, it reflects and encompasses the generational structure of the clinic as a whole, tracing the interacting influences - between infant, child, adolescent and adult - on the nature and quality of emotional growth and development. In the simplest of terms it tells the most complex of stories: the story of the internal development of a person from infancy to old age.
Its aim is to bring psychoanalytic theory to life, to make it accessible to a much wider range of readers, both lay and professional, than would normally be familiar with this kind of approach. Inside Lives belongs to the heart of the thinking and working of the Tavistock Clinic. A close reading of three stories will be used to illustrate the psychoanalytic ideas that may lie ‘underneath’. After exploring Lobel’s background, influences and style, attention will be given to the many and varied roles that Frog and Toad may represent. Winnicott will be made and the relationship between children’s literature, in particular the picture book, and psychoanalysis will be considered.
This deeper level of engagement owes much to the psychoanalytic ideas that are embodied throughout. While never losing their playful quality, the Frog and Toad stories engage both child and adult readers at a more profound level. Lobel was always clear that the best children’s books ‘strike deep’ and that ‘underneath there is something much more’.
THE GARDEN STORY FROG AND TOAD SERIES
But Lobel’s later work, most notably his series of four books about Frog and Toad, warrant closer examination. Perhaps for this reason and perhaps because of the muted nature of Lobel’s style, his books have not received wider critical attention, particularly from those looking at the intersection of psychoanalysis and children’s literature. Unlike his contemporary, Maurice Sendak, Lobel spoke little about his own work. Arnold Lobel (1933–1987) was an American author and illustrator of picture books for children.
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