Overview
The year 2002 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first appearance of Freddy the Pig-that illustrious barnyard character called "that charming ingenious pig" by The New York Times.
Walter Brooks's Freddy the Pig first appeared in print in 1927, in To and Again (later published as Freddy Goes to Florida). Devotees and acclaim soon 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.
Synopsis
The year 2002 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first appearance of Freddy the Pig-that illustrious barnyard character called "that charming ingenious pig" by The New York Times.
Walter Brooks's Freddy the Pig first appeared in print in 1927, in To and Again (later published as Freddy Goes to Florida). Devotees and acclaim soon 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.
Ken Marantz - Children's Literature
This collection of excerpts from the 26 Freddy books is a 75th anniversary celebration of a group of minor well-loved children's literature classics, now being reprinted. In his four-page introduction, Cart presents some biographical bits about the artist, covering his German roots, extensive travels, and eventual settling in New Jersey. But words are not needed to discover, or re-discover, Wiese's remarkable talents. He created a world where people and animals live together as equals. The anthropomorphism of the black and white drawings seems perfectly natural as it allows the animals to lead complex lives, engaging in a full range of activities. The excerpts are grouped by themes such as "The Many Moods of Freddy and His Friends," or "Escapades and Adventures," so we can observe stylistic changes over the years, although unfortunately none are dated. The drawing is naturalistic but simplified. And of course, humor dominates the actions. Wiese demonstrates the power of black lines to create visual narratives, produce characters with compelling personalities, and depict settings of dramatic scenes. In addition, in the center are bound 24 pages in color, reproducing the original jackets and/or cover. We miss the references that would enable us to follow up the tantalizing scenes to their sources. 2002, Overlook Press/Peter Mayer Publishers,
Editorials
Children's Literature
This collection of excerpts from the 26 Freddy books is a 75th anniversary celebration of a group of minor well-loved children's literature classics, now being reprinted. In his four-page introduction, Cart presents some biographical bits about the artist, covering his German roots, extensive travels, and eventual settling in New Jersey. But words are not needed to discover, or re-discover, Wiese's remarkable talents. He created a world where people and animals live together as equals. The anthropomorphism of the black and white drawings seems perfectly natural as it allows the animals to lead complex lives, engaging in a full range of activities. The excerpts are grouped by themes such as "The Many Moods of Freddy and His Friends," or "Escapades and Adventures," so we can observe stylistic changes over the years, although unfortunately none are dated. The drawing is naturalistic but simplified. And of course, humor dominates the actions. Wiese demonstrates the power of black lines to create visual narratives, produce characters with compelling personalities, and depict settings of dramatic scenes. In addition, in the center are bound 24 pages in color, reproducing the original jackets and/or cover. We miss the references that would enable us to follow up the tantalizing scenes to their sources. 2002, Overlook Press/Peter Mayer Publishers,— Ken Marantz