Customer Reviews

Freddy the Politician

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

This is one of the earlier Freddy adventures, before Brooks had really hit his stride as a writer. In this book, the barnyard organizes an election and a woodpecker, who is a smooth talker, winds up almost controlling the Bean farm. As usual, there are morals aplenty without being preached at the reader, but, given the 1930s political background of this book (Huey Long and some other major players were obviously in Brooks' mind as he wrote this) I suspect adults will like it more than the kids, although my own children enjoyed it. From another author, this would've gotten at least four stars, but Brooks raises the standard.

When the Beans leave for an extended trip to Europe, it's up to the animals to run the farm themselves. They start up The First Animal Bank of Centerboro, teaching themselves what banks are all about in the process. Then they decide to start up the First Animal Republic, and to elect a president. Interestingly one of the candidates is an outsider, blown in by an ill wind. Of all the animals Brooks might have chosen for this role, it's a woodpecker! And from Washington DC, no less! Have to love it. This woodpecker says he knows better than the locals what's good for them, and starts using dirty tricks to win the election. The local candidate is Mrs. Wiggins, the cow. Our favorite pig, Freddy, is her campaign manager, and there is so much trickery on both sides that we don't know whether to laugh or cry. As usual, there are lots of lessons for the careful reader to learn. These animals are so very like us.

Brooks, Walter R.
Children's Fiction

Animals are responsible, too! At least, the animals of Mr. Bean's farm are and they are eager to prove their ability to run the farm in Mr. Bean's coming absence on a trip to Europe. To show their competence, Freddy and his friends band together to form the First Animal Bank and then to organize the First Animal Republic. As any good citizen knows, a good republic needs a good leader! Who among the farm animals will be a good president? It's a hotly debated topic and one that turns ugly when power-hungry newcomers to the farm, John Quincy Adams and Grover the woodpeckers, are nominated. With some ugly subversive tactics, the woodpeckers and their rat and bird friends succeed in overtaking the bank and establishing a dictatorship that extends far past the boundaries of the Bean farm. It's up to Freddy, John the fox and the other upright citizens of the county to save their farm and restore peace and harmony to the nation. Will they succeed? Or will the evil woodpecker dictators destroy the quiet life they've enjoyed forever?

This book was a great addition to the Freddy series and it teaches some wonderful lessons about politics and responsibility, all with a light touch that will go over well with young and old readers alike. Freddy's creativity shines once again, and I found myself laughing at his antics and at the calamities in which he finds himself. Great read!

As Freddy navigates his ways through the labryinth of agencies in Washington DC, the reader delights in the foibles of the bureaucracy - the most obvious one being the cross purposes with which regulatory agencies act, particularly in their briefings to oversite committees (which are treated insufficiently, for my tastes). The major flaw, however, is Freddy's view (and I'm not sure that Freddy is not merely a mouthpiece for the author) that there is a unitary explanation for government inefficiency : namely, corporate influence. Hyper pluralism (the theory that AMerican government offers so many entry points to so many different interest groups that any attempt to influence policy boy one interest group can inevitably be negated by a different group using a different policy making institution - a reality exacerbated by our federalist system!) is dealt with only in passing - when Freddy passes a hyper pluralist who mutters "I need a drink"..a clear case of bias on Freddy's (and maybe the author's) part. If I wanted this type of Marxist tripe, I'd go to a university (a state funded one mind you)...

I also found the gruesome scenes of mob violence unsettling. After a while, I found Freddy's digressions on "Germanic Tribalism" tiresome as well. However, the hovercraft chases through the straits of Magelllan make all the tiresome parts of the book worth it.

A good read over all