Review - Frederick

Frederick
by Leo Lionni
Date: 1967
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

While the other field mice work to gather grain and nuts for winter, Frederick sits on a sunny rock by himself. “I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days,” he tells them. Another day he gathers “colors,” and then “words.” And when the food runs out, it is Frederick, the dreamer and poet, whose endless store of supplies warms the hearts of his fellow mice, and feeds their spirits during the darkest winter days.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book has been around longer than I have, and yet I can't recall reading it or even seeing it at the library when I was a child.

It's a cute little story, sort of like "The Ant and the Grasshopper", but with a bit of a twist.  I thought the "illustrations" (actually paper collages) were kind of neat, though I'm not sure how appealing they would be to young children.

My favourite part of the book was Frederick's poem, which he recites to the other mice during the cold winter.  It has a nice, bouncy rhythm and reads well out loud.

Quotable moment:

Who scatters snowflakes? Who melts the ice?
Who spoils the weather? Who makes it nice?
Who grows the four-leaf clovers in June?
Who dims the daylight? Who lights the moon?

Recommended to: young children who like simple stories

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.57 out of 5