Art of Freddy - Hardcover

Brooks, Walter R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585673153 ISBN 13: 9781585673155

Publisher: Amulet Books, 2002

Synopsis

Walter Brooks's Freddy the Pig first appeared in print in 1927, in To andAgain (later published as Freddy Goes to Florida). Devotees and acclaimsoon followed, as did the winning relationship between Brooks and illustrator Kurt Wiese. The result was twenty-six Freddy books in all, each accompanied by Wiese's vibrant and comic illustrations. As Brooks once said, "Kurt Wiese draws such very sympathetic pigs!" Celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary is this delightful volume of Kurt Wiese's illustrations, capturing the incomparable Freddy in his many guises-as detective, poet, banker, and pilot, just to name a few! Here, too, are Freddy's adventures and misadventures, his human and barnyard friends and foes. Together with choice bits of Brooks's text, Kurt Wiese's illustrations capture the rollicking humor and dramatic spirit of Freddy's world. Included, too, are several exciting original Freddy illustrations-never before in print from the collection of Lee Secrest, former president of Friends of Freddy, and keeper of the Freddy archives. An introduction by Michael Cart, one of the foremost authorities on all things Freddy puts Kurt Wiese's life and art into context with Freddy and his creator, Walter Brooks.

About this title

About the Author

Walter R. Brooks (1886-1958) was born in Rome, New York. He worked for several magazines including The New Yorker and his short stories were published in the Saturday Evening Post, the Atlantic Monthly, and Esquire ."Ed Takes the Pledge" was the basis for the 1960s television series, Mr. Ed but Brooks s most lasting achievement is the Freddy the Pig series, which began in 1927 with To and Again (Freddy Goes to Florida). He subsequently wrote twenty-five more delightful books starring Freddy, "that charming, ingenious pig" (The New York Times).

Reviews

Before chapter books and easy-to-read books, children made the transition from picture books to novels through the liberally illustrated, episodic adventures of engaging characters. Many children of the '30s, '40s, and '50s learned to love reading because of Freddy the Pig and his Bean Farm friends, 26 animal fantasies written by Brooks and illustrated by Wiese. In his introduction, Cart concludes that "[Wiese's] pictures do more than simply illustrate the words of the text; they expand them and immeasurably enrich the reader's experience of the books." This 75th-anniversary volume includes 200 illustrations and text fragments from the books, supported by Cart's assessment. The topical organization-disguises, moods, food, villains, etc.-cuts across the art published between 1927 and 1958, so the variations of line and Freddy's shifting "maturity" add interest to the large, open page design. A 24-page color section showcases the cover art for each title. There is no list of sources for each selection, no analysis of Wiese's style, and no essay of historical context. Rather, as Cart says, this book is, "simply put, a feast for the eye." The "Freddy" books are now back in print, so there will be both old and new fans interested in this celebration, but this book also has a place in academic libraries serving students of illustration and the history of children's literature.
Sue Burgess, Framingham State College, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Amulet Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585673153
• ISBN 13: 9781585673155
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wiese Kurt
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224