Book Report: Frederick

By Akela Talamasca on May 14th, 2009

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Leo Lionni was a wonderful children’s book creator, both writing and illustrating his stories using a mixture of painting and collage. Possibly my favorite of his over 40 books is “Frederick”, the story of a family of field mice who prepare for the coming of Winter.

As Winter approaches, the family of field mice hurriedly gather food to hoard because they won’t be able to get it when the cold hits. Everyone works hard, except for Frederick, who always seems to be lazing around. When the other mice object, Frederick merely replies that he is working; he’s gathering words, colors, and heat for use later.

Winter finally arrives, and little by little, the food runs out. When the mice remember what Frederick said about his work, he tells them to close their eyes, and he begins to speak of the warmth of the sun, the lovely colors of Springtime, and recites a poem about the seasons. The mice are amazed, and in this way, they manage to survive the Winter.

Clearly a parable about the importance of the artist to society, Frederick nevertheless charms with its gentle lesson and sweet artwork. I wasn’t too sure, reading this as an adult, that I liked the fact that Frederick does absolutely nothing to help gather the food they all need to survive — after all, artists can work with their hands too — but in the end, the point was made succinctly. Pick up “Frederick” for your child today!