Freddy Rides Again facts for kids
First edition - Freddy and Jinx as cowboys
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| Author | Walter R. Brooks |
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| Illustrator | Kurt Wiese |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | American English |
| Series | Freddy the Pig |
| Genre | Children's novel, Comic novel |
| Publisher | A. A. Knopf, The Overlook Press, Recorded Books, Duckworth |
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Publication date
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1951 (Knopf), 2002 (Overlook), 2006 (Duckworth) |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback), CD, cassette |
| Pages | 238 (pp. 2-240) |
| ISBN | 1-58567-268-8 (Overlook hardback) |
| OCLC | 50095526 |
| LC Class | PZ7.B7994 Frg 2002 |
| Preceded by | Freddy the Cowboy |
| Followed by | Freddy the Pilot |
Freddy Rides Again (1951) is an exciting adventure story, the 18th book in the popular Freddy the Pig series. It was written by American author Walter R. Brooks and brought to life with drawings by Kurt Wiese. In this book, the clever talking animals of the Bean farm face a big challenge when wealthy new neighbors move in and try to change things in their community.
Contents
Freddy's Wild West Adventure
New Neighbors and a Foxhunt
John the fox isn't scared by the new neighbors, the Margarines, who love to hold foxhunts! Still enjoying their cowboy roles from Freddy the Cowboy, Freddy the pig and Jinx the cat put on their hats, neckerchiefs, and boots. They saddle their mounts to follow the hunt. John leads the chase right through a neighbor's house. It seems John's plan to make people angry about foxhunting will work. But then Mr. Margarine gives the neighbor a lot of money for the damage.
Riding with Mr. Margarine is his son, Billy. Billy was quite rude to the animals when they first met. However, he showed courage during the argument. This made Freddy think:
- "I was just getting so I hated him, and then he has to go do something I admire him for. I wish people would be good all over or bad all over."
The Margarines' cat runs away and finds safety at the Bean Farm. He suspiciously claims he wasn't given enough food at home. Freddy and Jinx decide to watch what he does. While observing, they discover a dangerous rattlesnake nearby.
A Rattlesnake Scare
After hearing the snake's plans to eat his friends, Freddy asks for help from Old Whibley, a sarcastic and very smart owl. After some teasing, Whibley tells the animals to stay away until he can catch the snake during his usual hunting time. However, Freddy cleverly traps the snake using chewing gum as bait.
Billy comes to the farm to tease the animals, but their laughter drives him away. Later, Mr. Margarine appears. The animals try to make him leave by laughing too. But Mr. Margarine gets into a scuffle with Mr. Bean, which makes the animals very angry. They all attack Mr. Margarine.
Freddy's Clever Disguise
Because of the scuffle, Mr. Margarine gets the sheriff to issue an order for Freddy and Charles the Rooster's capture. So, they go into hiding. From their hiding spot, they start a series of pranks on local farms. They want to make it look like the Margarines are causing all the trouble. As a result, Mr. Margarine puts out an advertisement looking for a detective.
Freddy puts on a disguise and pretends to be a tough character called the "Commanche Kid." He answers the ad and gets hired to track down himself!
Making Friends and Solving Problems
News of Billy being driven away from the Bean Farm spreads across the countryside. Animals laugh at him as he rides by. Billy wisely starts to understand that some people are liked for who they are, not for what they own. He finds the Commanche Kid (who is Freddy in disguise) for advice. Billy is beginning to appreciate his situation when news reaches the farm that Mr. Margarine has taken one of the Bean cows, Mrs. Wiggins, captive.
When the small farm animals realize they can't free Mrs. Wiggins from her stall, they instead scare Mrs. Margarine into the stall with the cow. The two women then talk and become friends:
- "Mrs. Margarine looked angry; then she laughed. 'I daresay you're right. I can hardly imagine myself keeping a promise to a cow.'
- 'A cow or a man — what's the difference,' Mrs. Wiggins said. 'It's you that makes the promise.'"
Freddy and Billy become good friends. Freddy even gives Billy similar cowboy clothes. A policeman arrests Billy, thinking he is Freddy. Freddy goes to the jail to fix the mistake. But while there, he and Billy are caught by Mr. Margarine. Mr. Margarine threatens to shoot Freddy if he sees him again.
After some time, Freddy can't stand living under threat. He challenges Mr. Margarine to a duel. However, Freddy sets up the duel to make Mr. Margarine look foolish in front of everyone watching. Mr. Margarine finally admits he is defeated. The Bean animals then throw their longest party ever. The next day, as Freddy and Billy ride off together, Billy announces that the Margarines have given up foxhunting for good.
Main Characters
Freddy lives on the Bean farm with many animal friends. These include a cat, dogs, cows, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. There are also different owls, jays, and toads. Several of these animals play important roles in the book. The story also introduces Mr. and Mrs. Margarine and their son, Billy.
Book Illustrations
The book features 34 black and white drawings. These pen and ink illustrations were created by Kurt Wiese. There are also special drawings on the endpapers and a picture at the very beginning of the book. The full-color cover shows scenes from the story. Each chapter begins with a half-page illustration. A full-page illustration is also placed near an important event within each chapter.
