A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD

At the New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd St. Telecharge, (212) 239-6200. Through Dec. 1.

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THE current offering at the New Victory is the charming “A Year With Frog and Toad,” a musical based on the books by Arnold Lobel. It’s a series of episodes about best friends Frog and Toad, planting seeds and going swimming and making cookies. For each activity, there’s a descriptive song, backed by a live band.

The play, smoothly designed by Adrianne Lobel, the author’s daughter; directed by David Petrarca; and costumed by Martin Pakledinaz, is all sweet and simple fun.

The cast is its best asset: Frog is tall, thin Jay Goede, sober and serious and affectionate. Toad is short, stout Mark Linn-Baker, emotionally needy and unsure of the world around him – afraid to be seen in his bathing suit, and a failure at flying a kite.

With its spirited supporting cast playing birds and moles and such, “A Year With Frog and Toad” is perfect for younger audiences.