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Description

In Arnold Lobel’s classic story “Dragons and Giants,” Frog and Toad read a book about knights fighting dragons and giants and then measure themselves against those heroes, asking, “Are we brave?” Societies all over the world show children images of martial bravery from early on and then, at about age 18, draft them into the military to act out those ideals. In “The Dream” Toad dreams that a voice praises him as he performs on a stage while his friend Frog, applauding in the audience, keeps shrinking. But Toad can wake up from this dream and realize the expectations of excellence urged on him by “the Voice” are optional. He can decide to be an ordinary Toad and spend a “fine long day” with his friend. Our great privilege, as adults talking seriously with children, is that we can help them notice the ways they are being urged and jollied along into a system that is not friendly to them.

Publication Date

2026

Publisher

Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

City

Montclair

Keywords

bravery, fear, freedom, excellence, indoctrination, war

Disciplines

Education | Philosophy

Dragons and Giants and The Dream from <em>Frog and Toad Together</em> (1971) by Arnold Lobel

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