Both Happy

"The Surprise takes place in October. “The leaves had fallen off the trees. They were lying on the ground,” writes Lobel. Frog decided to go to Toad’s house and rake the leaves off his lawn. “Toad will be surprised,” he said. Meanwhile, Toad had the same idea. “I will run over to Frog’s house. I will rake all of his leaves. Frog will be very pleased,” thought Toad.

The two friends headed to each other’s houses taking different routes. They were both pleased to find the other not home. “He will never guess who raked his leaves,” they each said to themselves, while raking each other’s lawns clean. While each were returning home, “a wind came,” writes Lobel. “It blew across the land.” The wind blew the leaves that Frog and Toad had raked for each other all over their yards again.

“When Frog got home, he said, ‘Tomorrow I will clean up the leaves that are all over my own lawn. How surprised Toad must be!’” Toad, meanwhile, had the same thought back at his house. “That night,” writes Lobel, “Frog and Toad were both happy when they turned out the light and went to bed.”