Arnold Lobel Papers

Arnold Lobel was born in Los Angeles, California on May 22, 1933 to Lucille Stark and Joseph Lobel. He grew up in Schenectady, New York and attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn following high school. A gifted artist, Lobel graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1955 with a degree in fine arts, and later that year married a fellow art student, Anita Kempler.

Lobel illustrated his first book, Red Tag Comes Back, in 1961. The book would prove to be the start to a twenty-six year career writing and illustrating children's books, during which time he created more than 100 books including his popular stories that followed the adventures of Frog and Toad. Lobel was honored numerous times for his books, most notably for Frog and Toad Together, which was named a Newberry Honor book in 1973, and for Fables, for which he was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1981. Lobel also produced numerous books with his wife Anita, also a children's book author and illustrator.

Lobel's work has been widely distributed, and has been translated into dozens of languages. Known for his ability to write for children just beginning to read, Lobel became popular with both children and their parents. Arnold Lobel passed away on December 4, 1987 at the age of 54. In 2009 his daughter began releasing previously unpublished works by her father, including The Frogs and Toads All Sang and Odd Owls and Stout Pigs.