A summer car trip is the perfect time to break out the Frog and Toad soundtrack! The boys groan, but by the time we get to “Getta Loada Toad,” they’re singing along too.

A Year with Frog and Toad is a musical based on Arnold Lobel’s charming Frog and Toad books. It follows good friends, Frog and Toad, through each season’s adventures–planting seeds, swimming, raking leaves, and sledding. And it’s full of catchy songs.

I’m also a big fan of the books. Blaine and Larrabee both loved them. Each of the four books in the series contains five stories that are just right for beginning readers. I admire an author who can draw memorable characters and tell a satisfying story with a few simple words.

The musical does a good job of capturing the magic of the books. “Cookies” and “Shivers” are two of my favorite stories and songs. I only wish the musical included “A Lost Button.”

Our road trip tradition has one additional benefit. Now the songs bring back memories not only of the books and the musical but of many previous trips listening to A Year with Frog and Toad.