Freddy the Politician facts for kids
First edition cover (original title) - Mrs. Wiggins the cow in parade.
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| Author | Walter R. Brooks |
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| Original title | Wiggins for President |
| 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 |
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Publication date
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1939 (As Wiggins for President (Knopf), 1948 as Freddy the Politician (Knopf), 2000 as Freddy the Politician (Overlook) |
| Media type | Hardcover, paperback, cassette, and CD |
| Pages | 251 (pp. 3 – 253) |
| ISBN | 1-58567-080-4 (Overlook hardcover) |
| Preceded by | 'The Clockwork Twin |
| Followed by | 'Freddy’s Cousin Weedly |
Freddy the Politician is a funny children's book from 1939. It is the sixth book in the popular Freddy the Pig series. Walter R. Brooks wrote the story, and Kurt Wiese drew the pictures. In this book, the animals on the Bean farm decide to start a bank. They also hold an election to choose their first leader. These new ideas become important parts of the series later on. The animals try to do things honestly, but some tricky strangers from Washington soon challenge them.
Contents
The Animals Start a Bank and an Election
To help Farmer Bean go on vacation, the animals come up with a plan. They decide to elect a president to manage the farm. They also want to start a bank to handle the farm's money. This way, everything will run smoothly while Mr. Bean is away.
How the Bank Begins
The animals discuss how to start a bank. Jinx the cat thinks it's simple. "You just open it," he says. "Put a big sign over the door that says 'BANK.' That's all!" Eeny the mouse is a bit confused by this idea. He asks if calling something a bank truly makes it one.
During a big storm, a lost woodpecker named John Quincy finds shelter. The animals think his name sounds important. They offer him the job of bank manager. Freddy the pig becomes the bank's secretary. They dig vaults under a shed to keep the money safe. The bank quickly becomes a success. Within a few days, the vaults are full of money.
Farmer Bean approves of the animal bank. But when he tells Mr. Weezer, the banker in town, they argue. Mr. Bean then takes all his money out of the town bank. He decides to put it into the animals' new bank instead.
Woodpeckers Take Over the Bank
Jinx the cat isn't interested in being a bank officer. So, John Quincy suggests bringing his father, Grover, from Washington. The woodpeckers then hold bank meetings in a tunnel. This tunnel is too small for Freddy to enter. Because Freddy cannot attend the meetings, the woodpeckers slowly take control of the bank. The Bean farm animals lose their power over it.
The Farm Election and Tricky Plans
The woodpeckers also have a plan to win the farm election. All animals on the farm can vote. The woodpeckers visit local birds to get their support. Then, Simon the rat and his family arrive. They are old enemies of the Bean animals. The Bean animals realize they must choose a popular candidate. They need someone strong to stop the woodpeckers or Simon from taking over the farm.
Choosing a Candidate
Mrs. Wiggins the cow is chosen as their candidate. She is known for her good common sense. She also has experience speaking in public. During her campaign, Mrs. Wiggins laughs a lot. Her opponents say that laughter has no place in government. But Old Whibley the owl disagrees. He calls this idea "balderdash," meaning nonsense.
The woodpeckers challenge Whibley to a duel. But Whibley apologizes. Grover, one of the woodpeckers, is confused by this apology. Whibley explains that he apologizes for saying they talk nonsense, even though he believes it's true.
Freddy's Clever Trick
Freddy later asks Whibley for advice on the woodpeckers. Whibley tells Freddy that the woodpeckers are always serious. He suggests Freddy dig a hole into the bank's boardroom. This hole needs to be big enough for Freddy to get in. Freddy follows this advice. He blocks the other entrances to the boardroom. Then, he calls a board meeting. The woodpeckers cannot get inside. Freddy then votes himself the new bank president.
When the other animals learn how Freddy tricked the woodpeckers, votes start to shift. Many animals begin to support Freddy's party. On election day, the animals are generally good-natured. However, the woodpeckers try a trick. They scheme to count votes for Mrs. Wiggins ("W") as votes for their candidate, "Marcus" ("M," which is an upside-down "W"). Freddy quickly points out that their ballots could also be for other farm animals with the same initial.
Overthrowing the Government
Grover, the woodpecker, is upset. He takes control of a powerful mechanical man. This machine was invented in an earlier book. The woodpeckers use force to overthrow the animal government. They even take Freddy prisoner. The woodpeckers then plan to expand their government. They want to take over nearby farms and eventually the whole state.
After the woodpeckers leave, Freddy escapes. He disguises himself as an Irish woman. He visits the Centerboro bank manager. Freddy convinces him that the animal bank is not a threat. Once the manager is on Freddy's side, they set a trap for Grover. They arrange a meeting in town. Grover is trapped inside the mechanical man. He is then removed and replaced.
Back at the farm, the mechanical man tells the woodpecker army to leave. John Quincy and Grover have lost on every front. They leave the Bean farm peacefully.
Book Illustrations
The book features 34 black and white drawings. These pen and ink illustrations were created by Kurt Wiese. The inside covers and the full-color dust jacket show scenes from the story. Each chapter begins with a half-page illustration. A full-page drawing is also placed near an important event within most chapters. Unlike later books, four shorter chapters in this book do not have an illustration inside them. One full-page illustration acts as the very first picture in the book. It shows an event from page 101. This makes it the only chapter in the series with two full-page illustrations. The dust jacket is a bit unusual. The art on the spine is repeated. In other Freddy books, the spine art usually flows smoothly from the front cover.
See also
In Spanish: Freddy el político para niños
