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Freddy Goes to Florida
Books: Children's Books: Kurt Wiese: Item 7
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Freddy Goes to Floridaby Walter R. Brooks and Kurt Wiese
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful: Starting Out Fresh, October 24, 2001 Reviewer:Marc Ruby "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - This is the re-released edition of "To and Again," which was the book that started Freddy the Pig on his road to fame. As such, it will go down in history as one of the great American children's tales. It is written for all of us who sometimes want to drop everything, leave the irritations of a job, escape difficult conditions, or simply need a change. It teaches it's lessons of the value of a dream, the nature of adventure and friendship, and the real meaning of home with a characteristic aplomb which will go on to mark all the Freddy books to come, and make them accessible to young and old. Charles the Rooster was depressed. He was tired of waking up before sunrise to greet the sun, and he hated the cold winter the would be coming all too soon. Then a passing barn swallow explained to Charles about migrating and the excited rooster went to work convincing the rest of the animals to go south for the winter. That wasn't hard, Mr. Bean was a good farmer, but he didn't have the money to keep the barn all warm and cozy. In no time at all everyone (Freddy the Pig, Jinx the Cat, Mrs. Wiggins the cow, Hank the horse, dogs, ducks, mice and even a pair of spiders) are headed down the road to Florida. They go from one picaresque adventure to another. They get a bit lost, survive kidnapping, and fall in a few rivers. The get to meet the President and find gold. Best of all they reach Florida and spend some wonderful time being lazy and basking in the sun. There they have the biggest adventure of all. Wandering in the Big Cypress Swamp the animals are surrounded by alligators and Charles must pull a trick on the Grandfather of All the Alligators to escape the swamp and begin their trip home. On the way, of course, even more exciting things befall them. "Freddy Goes to Florida" was written before Freddy really became the star of the series, although he plays a big part here, especially for his inventive mind and wonderful songwriting ability. He is proof that even the chubbiest of pigs is a fine friend and good company. But the reader, young, or old, will find much to enjoy in each of the characters. Even the hen-pecked Charles is worth the price of admission. And the Webbs too, spider-adventurers extraordinaire, will tick your nose too as they ride between Mrs. Wiggins horns. The lessons of this book are simple, yet incredibly important. That friends are important, that sticking to your word is the right thing to do, and that you are never too small to play a part. That helping others helps one's self. And the perseverance reaches its goal. But the best lessons of all come from Freddy's wonderful songs. "Oh, a life of adventure is gay and free, and danger has its charm; and no pig of spirit will bound his life by the fence on his master's farm....[yet] however they wander, both pigs and men are always glad to get home again."
Product Review
Birds migrate south for the winter--why shouldn't farm animals? In Walter R. Brooks's Freddy Goes to Florida, that's precisely what the thoughtful beasts of Mr. Bean's upstate New York farm decide to do. Not wanting to leave the imperfect yet kindhearted farm owner in the lurch, they draw straws to select the lucky travelers. A robin draws them a map that shows them how to get to Florida, and they're off! The parade of animals--Jinx the cat, Freddy the pig, Robert the dog, Hank and Mrs. Wiggins the cows, Mr. and Mrs. Webb the spiders, two ducks named Alice, and four mice--causes quite a stir on the cross-country trek. In Washington, D.C., they even meet the president, who "shook them each by the claw or a paw or a hoof." After a series of humorous and suspenseful near misses, including a battle of wits with some Florida alligators, they end up safely back home, where Freddy poetically concludes, "And however they wander, both pigs and men / Are always glad to get home again." Brooks is hilariously tongue-in-cheek; his insightful descriptions of animal characters are always compassionate; and his subtle appeal to a child's instinct for justice is no less than masterful. As Adam Hochschild of the New York Times Book Review writes, "The moral center of my childhood universe, the place where good and evil, friendship and treachery, honesty and humbug were defined most clearly, was not church, not school, and not the Boy Scouts. It was the Bean Farm."
From 1927 to 1958 Brooks wrote 26 Freddy books--including Freddy the Detective--all focused on the well-rounded pig, who has been described by various fans as ingenious, intelligent, loyal, and resourceful. Since Brooks's books fell out of print, librarians across the country have scrounged up copies wherever possible, even resorting to photocopying the books and binding them with hockey-stick tape. Finally, to the delight of thousands, the fabulous Freddy books have been reprinted by Overlook Press. Welcome back, Freddy! (Ages 9 to 12, but great for reading aloud to younger children.) --Karin Snelson
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Available for the first time in paperback, Freddy the Pig stars in two adventures. In the first, fresh from reading about Sherlock Holmes, Freddy is drafted to solve several disappearances on Bean farm. In the second, the porcine hero and his friends escape the drafty barn for a vacation in sunny Florida. Ages 9-12. (July)
Copyright 2001 Reed business Information, Inc.
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