Filbert, the Good Little Fiend - Hardcover

Oram, Hiawyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763658707 ISBN 13: 9780763658700

Publisher: Candlewick, 2013

Synopsis

A little fiend who’s too good for his own good befriends an angel who is too naughty—and together they concoct a clever plan.

Daddy and Mommy Fiend want their little Filbert to be gruesome and ghastly, but he won’t trample or terrify, roar or holler. He’d much rather help an old lady with her bags or go bird-watching. What are they to do with him? When Filbert starts school, he quickly learns that good behavior isn’t tolerated in class, and he is banished outside until he can act like a proper little fiend. Suddenly a little angel appears, flying fast and furious until...bump! Could this naughty Angel-School dropout be just the friend Filbert needs? Could they find a way together to make everyone accept them as they are?

About this title

About the Author

Hiawyn Oram has been writing children’s books for more than twenty years and is the author of more than sixty titles. A recipient of the Japanese Picture Book Award and the Prix du Livre Culturel, Hiawyn Oram lives in London.

Jimmy Liao is a best-selling, award-winning author-illustrator whose books with Candlewick include The World Champion of Staying Awake by Sean Taylor and The Monster Who Ate Darkness by Joyce Dunbar. Jimmy Liao lives in Taiwan.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 1–Oram takes on a tried-and-true theme in this pleasant but unexceptional outing. Little Fiend Filbert disappoints his monstrous parents and teacher because he is entirely too good. After he behaves well one too many times, Miss Fearsome-Frizz sends him outside to the “grassy Good Spot” where a poorly behaved little angel bumps into a tree and lands near him. Filbert dons Florinda's wings, halo, and dress, while she tries on his Max-esque horned, tailed, and clawed furry outfit. They return to their respective classrooms, prompting their teachers to beg them to go back to being themselves, and they become best friends. The text reads aloud smoothly, despite an overuse of capital letters to emphasize words. The brightly colored fiend family is reminiscent of the characters in the film version of Shrek, and the saturated hues are eye-catching. Busy, flowery borders around a few text pages don't marry well with the story, but touches like the clothes exchange, done in comiclike panels, work well, and Filbert's horned suit is particularly appealing. The story is amusing, if didactic, and the intended audience will enjoy it. Nevertheless, from Munro Leaf's Ferdinand to Leo Lionni's Cornelius to Kevin Henkes's Lilly to Ellen Stoll Walsh's frog Betsy, picture-book characters have been standing up for self-acceptance for years, and this adds nothing new to the canon.–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CTα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763658707
• ISBN 13: 9780763658700
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Liao Jimmy
• Number of pages: 32