Freddy the Politician [Hardcover]

Walter R. Brooks (Author), Kurt Wiese (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Freddy Books

It all started in 1927 when a group of animals on a farm in Upstate New York decided to travel to Florida in search of warmer weather --and faithful fans of the Freddy books have been joyously lapping up each book in the twenty-six book series ever since! Why is Freddy such a popular pig? Most readers will tell you it's because he's a pig for all seasons--a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician... you name it, and Freddy will give it a shot!

Freddy the Politician comes just in time for the upcoming presidential election. Political unrest has descended upon Bean Farm. Amidst cries (and whimpers) for the establishment of the First Animal Republic, a crafty woodpecker erects his very own dictatorship, and Freddy is forced to fight for democracy in his own barnyard!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Freddy the Pig books by Walter R. Brooks have gone in and out of print for the last 40 years, but he gets a new life with this recording about his time as a politician. Freddy and his farmyard friends on Mr. Bean's farm decide to start the First Animal Bank of Centerboro and the First Animal Republic to show how responsible they are while the Beans are on holiday in Europe. Some of the vocabulary is beyond the level of elementary students today, but by listening to the clear reading of the book, the words can be understood in context. Narrator John McDonough gives each animal a different voice and personality. Each tape is clearly labeled for the chapters included. The audio versions of Freddy the Detective, Freddy the Pilot, and Freddy Goes to the North Pole, also narrated by McDonough, are available from Recorded Books as well.
Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Freddy the Pig:

"Freddy's readers have called him a porcine prince... Walter R. Brook's gentle genius shines even brighter."--Nicholas Kristoff, The New York Times

"At my funeral, in lieu of flowers, I'd prefer that people give money to the Friends of Freddy fan club."--Deirdre Donahue, USA Today

"Freddy is blessed with courage, wit, agility and a Sherlock Holmes-like capacity for detective work."--Newsday

"Freddy's fame is growing--just not on his home turf. With that in mind, we suggest you find one of the books. After a few pages, guaranteed, you'll be proud he's our pig."-- Syracuse Post Standard

"The American version of the great English classics such as the Pooh books or The Wind in the Willows."--The New York Times Book Review

"[Walter Brooks'] prose was simple but elegant, without being dumbed down, and that the characters weren't plaster saints. Freddy was a bit lazy, a little vain, and not much of a house--uh, penkeeper. But the spirit of the stories was like the spirit of the Bean Farm's animals--kind, amiable, and clever."--The American Culture Blog --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Juvenile; Stated 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670804
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670802
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, but probably most challenging, Freddy books, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: FREDDY THE POLITICIAN (A Freddy Adventure) (Hardcover)

I have read now seven or eight Freddy books with my six year old son. In terms of story and language, some have been very engaging and well written, and some not. Occasionally, these books have more sophisticated themes, and have introduced my son to new ideas such as the power of the press, and the justice system.

Freddy the Politician was one of these, and likely the most sophisticated (keeping in mind that we are dealing with books about talking farm animals) of the series. It was written during WWII, but well before the US became involved. This background is very apparent once the story hits its stride.

The animals decide to set up a bank, and then to form the First Animal Republic. In setting up the bank, they feel that it needs a sober and worldly president, so that it will be a credible institution. John Quincy Adams, a woodpecker visiting from Washington DC, seems to fill the bill and takes the position.

Soon, John Quincy has brought in his father, Grover, to run for president of the FAR, and sinister plans are afoot. The election has everything: manipulation of voters lists, ballot fraud, insincere election promises, pork barrel, you name it. When these fail to win him the election, Grover takes power by coup.

Overnight, he is arresting his political enemies, annexing the Sudetenland - I mean, the neighbouring farms, and seeking world domination.

How is that for a tense story line in a kids book?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a Freddy classic, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Freddy the Politician (Hardcover)

Gosh. I don't see how anyone can give "Freddy the Politician" less than 5 stars. Freddy's "dropping in" to the board meeting at the bank -- Mrs. Wiggins' wonderful advice about the uses of laughter -- Bertram the robot going beserk and grabbing his own operator's tailfeathers -- it's all vintage Freddy. How great to have this classic back in print. Be sure to buy an extra for your local library when you buy one for yourself.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best "Freddies", November 9, 2000

By 

John Chastain (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Freddy the Politician (Hardcover)

The best children's writers seem to forget they're "writing for kids" and just tell a story that's exciting, dreamy, funny, sad, realistic and/or fantastic. That's what Brooks did in "Freddy the Politician." The book appeared in 1939 and unmistakably reflects world events of the time, just as other Freddy books are flavored by the Depression and the Cold War. Fortunately, each book sustains the hilarious, lovable series characters, who are the author's lasting achievement. Other, better-known books like "Animal Farm" and "Charlotte's Web" are heavily in debt to Walter R. Brooks.