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Description

Every story in Arnold Lobel's remarkable collection Frog and Toad Together exemplifies a trait I have called "philosophical whimsy"—humor that prods us readers to reflect on some philosophically interesting issue. In "Dragons and Giants," the humor begins when Frog and Toad look in a mirror to see if they are brave. Bravery is as difficult to be perfectly clear about as it is hard to ignore or devalue. It has puzzled and intrigued philosophers from Plato down to the present day. Children are admonished from a very young age to be brave. Blessed is the adult who invites, recognizes, and values the fresh insights that a young child can bring to the consideration of what bravery really is. And blessed is the child who is invited to follow up those natural chuckles over Frog's and Toad's exploits with some of their ruminations that this delightful story provokes.

Publication Date

1986

Publisher

Library Professional Publications

Keywords

Bravery, Fear, children, Courage, Foolhardiness, Self-Knowledge, philosophical whimsy, thought experiments

Disciplines

Education | Philosophy

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

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