Freddy and Simon the Dictator facts for kids
First edition - Freddy crowns his old enemy Simon
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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 | Knopf The Overlook Press |
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Publication date
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1956 (Knopf), 2003 (Overlook) |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 243 (pp. 2 – 244) |
| ISBN | 1-58567-359-5 (Overlook) |
| Preceded by | Freddy and the Baseball Team From Mars |
| Followed by | Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans |
Freddy and Simon the Dictator is an exciting children's book from 1956. It is the 24th story in the funny Freddy the Pig series. Walter R. Brooks wrote the book, and Kurt Wiese drew the pictures.
In this adventure, animals in New York State decide to rebel. They cause trouble and take over farms. Meanwhile, Freddy's friend, Mr. Camphor, is asked to run for governor. A governor is a leader of a state, similar to a president for a country. Things get wild when the animals take over Mr. Camphor's home. They even trap important political people there.
This book has some ideas that are similar to Animal Farm, a famous book by George Orwell. In Animal Farm, animals also take over a farm. At the end of Freddy and Simon the Dictator, Freddy's old enemy, Mr. Garble, is finally caught. The story also ends with all animals getting the right to vote in human elections. The book even hints that Freddy will become mayor of Centerboro many years later.
Contents
Story Summary: The Animal Uprising
Strange Happenings on the Farm
The local rabbits have been very helpful to the Bean family's animals. So, it is a big surprise when some rabbits start causing trouble. They break things and steal items. When asked about it, a rabbit blames Mrs. Bean. He even makes up a silly story that Mr. Bean ate her husband!
Freddy the pig and Jinx the cat decide to investigate. They find out that the Grimby house in the woods is being used for secret animal meetings. Inside, a speaker uses a machine to make his voice loud and scary. He tells the animals to be "free" from humans. Freddy thinks his old enemy, Mr. Garble, is behind this plan. The Animal Bureau of Investigation (A.B.I.) is told to watch the situation.
Mr. Camphor's Political Problem
Freddy's friend, Mr. Camphor, is asked to run for governor. But Mr. Camphor does not want the job. He says he could sound like a good governor, but he doesn't want to do any actual governing. Mr. Camphor asks Freddy to visit a political meeting at his mansion. He wants Freddy to say bad things about him so he won't be chosen.
Freddy, disguised as Dr. Hopper, invents funny faults about Mr. Camphor. He says Mr. Camphor giggles in church and during speeches. But the political group finds a way to see these faults as good things!
A Web of Lies and Deception
Later, money is stolen, and Mr. Bean's handkerchief is found at the crime scene. Freddy knows that Mr. Bean's laundry was stolen by rabbits. He suspects a plan to turn animals against humans. The plan involves telling lies that people might eventually believe.
Miss Anguish, Mr. Camphor's sister, is one of the guests. She seems a bit confused, but it might be an act. She even says that Freddy is a Hollywood film director! Freddy now has to deal with three different kinds of strange thinking at once.
Freddy tries again to convince the committee that Mr. Camphor is not a good candidate. He suggests that all animals should be given the right to vote! While the committee thinks about this, Freddy investigates the stolen money.
The Animal Revolution Begins
Before Freddy can find evidence, Mr. Bean is put in prison. Mr. Camphor hides by joining a local Native American tribe. Jinx the cat discovers that Simon the rat has returned. Simon and Mr. Garble are encouraging all animals to revolt and take over farms from humans. To get inside the group, Jinx decides to pretend he has joined the revolution.
Freddy and Mr. Camphor's butler, Bannister, cannot convince Mr. Camphor to come back. He is still disguised as a Native American. The A.B.I. finds the hideout where Garble is leading the revolution. They capture him and smash the machine used for speeches.
However, it is too late to stop the revolution. Farms are taken over, including the Bean farm. Jinx takes charge of the Bean farm. Since the Bean animals do not know Jinx is working undercover, he gets a lot of abuse.
Ending the Uprising
To fight the revolution, Freddy gets help from the captured Mr. Garble. He convinces Garble that the Native Americans will burn him at the stake. Then Freddy turns to Simon. For a while, he follows Jinx's lead. But then he tricks Simon into sitting in a cage that looks like a throne.
With Simon out of the way, Mr. Camphor decides to talk directly to the animals in the revolution. He promises them the right to vote. This would make them equal to people. This idea is very popular, and the revolution starts to fail. With help from the dogs, who mostly stayed loyal to their human owners, the farms are slowly taken back.
Mr. Garble escapes. He captures Freddy, Miss Anguish, and Jinx. He holds them for money. Miss Anguish tries to confuse their captors. But finally, in desperation, they start a fire to get attention. Mr. Garble is caught again and sent to prison. Simon and his criminal family are put in a crate and shipped from place to place forever. The animal revolution fails. With the animal vote, Mr. Camphor becomes governor.
Illustrations
The book has 38 black and white drawings by Kurt Wiese. These are pen and ink drawings. There are also special designs on the inside covers of the book, called endpapers. The front cover is in full color and shows scenes from the book. Each chapter begins with a half-page drawing. A full-page drawing is also placed near an important event in each chapter.
