Freddy and Simon the Dictator
Author: Walter R. Brooks
Illustrator: Kurt Wiese
Book 23 in the Freddy the Pig series
Pages: 220
Published: 1956
Age: 8+
Warnings had been printed in the Bean Home News and the Centerboro Guardian, but nobody paid much attention to them. An animal revolt? "Preposterous!" said the Beans and all the other humans. But it's true - and the outrages begin: cars are stopped and overturned all over the county, farmers starting out to do their morning chores are driven back into the house, and the cows refuse to come in at milking time. In Centerboro, cats are insolent to their mistresses and horses go out of their way to insult people on the street.
Simon the rat is determined to turn the farm into a dictatorship and Mr. Camphor has been persuaded (much against his better judgment) to run for governor of New York State. Herb Garble shows up, Jinx defects to the enemy (or does he?), and Freddy - that inimitable pig! - goes to work as the political boss of Otesaraga County.
About the Freddy the Pig Series
Books in series order
- 1.Freddy Goes to Florida(1927)
- 2.Freddy Goes to the North Pole(1930)
- 3.Freddy the Detective(1932)
- 4.The Story of Freginald(1936)
- 5.The Clockwork Twin(1937)
- 6.Freddy and the Politician(1939)
- 7.Freddy's Cousin Weedly(1940)
- 8.Freddy and the Ignormus(1941)
- 9.Freddy and the Perilous Adventure(1942)
- 10.Freddy and the Bean Home News(1943)
- 11.Freddy and Mr. Camphor(1944)
- 12.Freddy and the Popinjay(1945)
- 13.Freddy the Pied Piper(1946)
- 14.Freddy the Magician(1947)
- 15.Freddy Goes Camping(1948)
- 16.Freddy Plays Football(1949)
- 17.Freddy the Cowboy(1950)
- 18.Freddy Rides Again(1951)
- 19.Freddy the Pilot(1952)
- 20.Freddy and the Space Ship(1953)
- 21.Freddy and the Men from Mars(1954)
- 22.Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars(1955)
- 23.Freddy and Simon the Dictator(1956)
- 24.Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans(1957)
- 25.Freddy and the Dragon(1958)
- +The Collected Poems of Freddy the Pig(1953)
- +The Wit and Wisdom of Freddy the Pig(1999)
Reading age: 8+ years
'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)
Freddy the Pig can seem the most unheroic of heroes: he oversleeps, daydreams, eats too much and, when not suffering from writer's block, writes flowery poetry for all occasions. His tail uncurls when he gets scared. Although lazy, he accomplishes a lot, because "when a lazy person once really gets started doing things, it's easier to keep on than it is to stop."
But Freddy the Pig is a pig for all seasons - a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician - you name it! Along with his farm friends - including Jinx the cat and Charles the rooster - on Bean Farm in Upstate New York, Freddy's adventures show ingenuity and endeavour; a good time and a good laugh.
This classic series features the brilliant Freddy and illustrates the cardinal virtues: "fair play and a good sense of humor."
'Freddy is simply one of the greatest characters in children's literature!' (School Library Journal)