Wiese, Kurt Books

The Story about Ping (Reading Railroad Books)

Marjorie Flack

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Can't see what the fuss is all about. 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I think most reviewers are a little hyper about something I just don't get. Yes it's quite clearly a good book for kids, and the analogy of Packet InterNet Groper is clever, but this reviewer gives it average mark.

Ping - an old story still as popular today 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book because I had lost the school library's copy and it was my husband's favourite book as a child. When it arrived I read it to every class from Kindergarten to year six and they all loved it. It was a good lead into the Beijing Games but it also led into a study of cormorants, river dwelling, mapping,relationships and counting.I can highly recommend this ageless story.

Editorial Review:

Since 1933, The Story About Ping has captivated generations of readers, but never before has it been available in a mass-market paperback format. No one can deny the appeal of the book's hero, Ping, the spirited little duck who lives on a boat on the Yangtze River. Ping's misadventures one night while exploring the world around his home form the basis of this timeless classic, which is brought to life by Kurt Wiese's warm and poignant illustrations.

The Five Chinese Brothers (Paperstar)

Claire Huchet Bishop

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

It's just a story, isn't it? 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

There is something about the magical that deeply appeals to children. That's why fairy tales are so beloved by them. Even folk tales, a more realistic spin-off of fairy tales, are also favorites of children.

No exception is "The Five Chinese Brothers," written by Claire Hucket Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. This 1938 publication is still in print, testifying to its popularity. The call of political incorrectness just does not apply here. These five brothers are identical, not because all Chinese people look alike, but because they are quintuplets. Does the story say so? No, but it only figures...

These five brothers--each has a unique gift, each strange, but nevertheless, their gifts are what this story is about. The first brother can swallow the sea, the second has an iron neck, the third can stretch his legs indefinitely, the fourth cannot be burned, and the fifth can hold his breath indefinitely.

So the first takes a child fishing and uses his sea-holding ability so that the child can pick seashells and the like normally hidden under the water. Sad, but the little boy is headstrong and won't return to shore, the brother lets out the sea, and the boy disappears. The brother is going to be executed by axe. He asks to go say goodbye to his mother and switches with his second brother whose neck cannot be hurt.

And so on with each brother who is to be punished by death. Finally, after the fifth try, the judge sets him free. He returns home and lives happily with his brothers and mother.

Children love this book because it strikes their fancy: wild abilities, escape from punishment, astonishment of the town folk, and freedom.

I can see that.

Editorial Review:

The classic story about five clever brothers, each with a different extraordinary ability is "a dramatic retelling of an old Chinese tale." (The New York Public Library). " . . . when Bishop makes the tall brother stretch, the sea-swallower work, or the robust one hold his breath, young children will laugh and laugh."--New York Herald Tribune Books. Full color.

Daughter of the Mountains (Newbery Library, Puffin)

Louise S. Rankin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

So glad it's still in print! 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I read this book voraciously from start to finish when I was in 7th grade and have never forgotten it. It illustrates how important it is to have faith in a dream and to go after what you want even when everyone tells you it's impossible. And if you've ever dearly loved a pet, this is the story for you.

Momo, a young Tibetian girl, yearns to own a Lhasa Apso, but an expensive pedigree dog like that is beyond her family's meager budget. Undaunted, Momo hopes and prays for one to come her way, certain that it will. Her faith and tenacity pay off when a traveling merchant presents her with an adorable Lhasa puppy, whom Momo promptly names Pempa. All is perfect in Momo's world until the day Pempa is stolen by thieves on their way to India. You will learn a lot about that part of the world as Momo tirelessly treks through Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and finally India to retrieve her beloved pooch.

She stumbles into a lot of interesting characters along the way, making this story an even more enjoyable read.

Editorial Review:

Momo has always wanted a Lhasa terrier--a dog like the ones the Tibetan Buddhist priests hold sacred in their temples. When a trader brings Pempa to her parents' teahouse, Momo's dream comes true. Then a band of robbers steals the valuable dog, and to recover him, Momo must make a dangerous journey she may not survive. A Newbery Honor Book. Illustrated.

Freddy Anniversary Collection

Walter R. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Educational and entertaining: dynamite! 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Brooks wrote the Freddy series between 1927 and 1958. They combine superb character development, unbelievable educational content, and generally mesmerizing entertainment. They are appropriate for reading to children as young as five or six, and make excellent readers for children from nine to as old as early teens.

If you read Freddy to very young children, expect to leave out some slower-moving segments and provide lots of side explanations. The good news is that these books can make your kids WANT to know more about judges and juries, bond and bail, the electoral process, World War II, banking, newspaper publishing, geography, ... I could go on and on. The vocabulary-building value is also enormous: words like "constituents" and "torrid" are sprinkled in throughout.

If you look at the membership of the Friends of Freddy organization, you'll find it is predominantly male. I think that's because of the book titles, not the content. My second grade daughter looks forward to my reading Freddy every night. She has named toys after Brooks' characters. Brooks handles the characters and their relationships so deftly that literary experts have suggested that these works actually inspired Orwell's Animal Farm. Oh, and the president of the First Animal Republic was a female.

Before Overlook republished the entire series, some rarer titles were bringing as high as $200 each. That fact aside, this combination of the first three titles in a single volume is a terrific bargain. I would argue that Freddy Goes to Florida and Freddy the Detective are the two best books of the 26 book series anyway.

In this age of unlimited access to Disney DVDs and slam-bam, in-your-face video games, the Freddy series just might be your kids' ticket back to calmer, more thoughtful, and much more valuable entertainment. But be warned: you may find your fifth grader reading under his blankets with a flashlight long after he's supposed to be asleep. It happened to my parents when I was in the fifth grade.

Editorial Review:

The Freddy Anniversary Collection contains the first three books in the much-loved Freddy the pig series, in the order in which they first appeared: Freddy Goes to Florida (first published as To and Again), along side Freddy Goes to the North Pole (More To and Again), followed by the unforgettable Freddy the Detective. Each book is captivatingly illustrated by Kurt Wiese, the artist who illustrated all twenty-six of the Freddy books. The Freddy Anniversary Collection is perfect for fans and initiates alike: a great starter package, and a great collector’s edition.

Freddy the Detective

Walter R. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Some pig 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I run a bookgroup for homeschoolers and have the very great pleasure of introducing this bunch of alternative education kiddies to some of the great classics in children's literature. It can be a very rewarding experience. Once in a while, however, the kids teach me about books that I've never heard of. One of the children I organize has been obsessed with the "Freddy" books for years. Occasionally he would ask me if I had read them or he'd promote them to the group. In my initial ignorance, I assumed that he was referring to the Freddy the Hamster books by Dietlof Reiche. Those books are very good but the kid was actually referring to the classic Freddy the Pig series dating back to the 1930s. Recently these books have been earning themselves an entirely new audience and children everywhere are engulfed in a kind of newfangled Freddy fever. I picked up "Freddy the Detective" (not realizing that "Freddy In Florida" is actually the first book in the series) to give the books a look-see. I did this with a kind of snide attitude that went something along the lines of, "well I'm sure these books have aged poorly over the years and that the only reason kids are reading them because their parents made them". Oh how wrong a children's librarian can be. The Freddy books are marvelous. Author Walter R. Brooks is marvelous. In fact, "Freddy the Detective" is so wry, well-written, and delightful that I am truly shocked that more people are not aware of this series. Consider me a convert of the pig. One who will be singing his praises to the masses every chance I get.

Freddy is just your average highly intelligent pig. He lives on the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Bean and has a lovely little life. He has a fine library in his pen and it is from his books that he gets the idea to become a detective. After reading a couple Sherlock Holmes stories, Freddy is sure that he can pull off becoming the farm's number one crime-ridder. This decision is made not a moment too soon, for a nasty clan of rats has stolen a valuable toy train from the Bean home and is performing dastardly crimes with it. As we follow Freddy, he solves crime after crime and participates in adventure after adventure. When Jinx the cat is ultimately framed for a crime he did not commit, it's up to Freddy to sway a jury of his peers as to the feline's innocence and the true criminals in the case.

One of the first things that caught my attention in this book was the lack of human/animal interaction. For kids that grew up reading that other classic farm text, "Charlotte's Web", the fact that there are two kids on the Bean farm that never ever appear in the book is downright bizarre. In any other story we'd be getting everything from the children's point of view. Brooks, however, knows who the true star of his book is and he's not going to muddle the action with a couple of pesky young 'uns hogging (ho ho!) the spotlight. Another interesting choice comes with the fact that the humans and the animals on the farm cannot talk to one another. This makes quite a bit of sense, when you consider it. Animals have no vocal cords. Animals also don't usually use their hoofs like hands, but that's neither here nor there. The point is that humans and animals have their own fixed roles in Brooks' world, and for kids this is very easy to understand.

But it's the writing of Walter Brooks that has made this series as memorable as it is today. He continually peppers his books with songs and rhymes that not only pan out correctly but are rather clever in their own right. Consider the following:

"Habitually we offend
Against our country's laws.
It works out better in the end
Than being good, because -

No home has a superior
Or cheerier interior
Than this old jail
The which we hail
With constant loud applause".

Nicely done, eh? Better still are the 1930s turns of phrase and common references long since lost to the annals of time. In one section the children reading this book are urged to sing "Aunt Laurie" as fast as they possibly can. If a single child in this country knows both words and tune, I'll be amazed. In another instance a chapter title is simply, "Jinx is indicted", which I thought was great. And opposite the title page is a picture of Freddy falling down a flight of stairs backwards (as occurs later in the book) with the caption, "- but at that moment Freddy came to grief". Obviously the publisher of this book found that turn of phrase just as charming as I did. Well done there, Puffin Books. Paired with these words are German illustrator Kurt Wiese's original pen and inks. Known almost entirely for illustrating books with Asian themes (he won a Newbery for his illustrations in "Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze", for example), Wiese eschews his normal style in favor of this most American of tales. His animals are both deeply familiar and oh-so-slightly human. There is not a picture in this book that jars with the action or distracts from the words. The pairing of Wiese with Brooks can only be described as heavenly.

I was a little afraid when I picked up this book (and took a gander at its copyright date) that we'd have to deal with a fair amount of sexism and racism in this book. To my somewhat naïve shock, no such prejudice pops up. In fact, Brooks could even be credited with breaking down a few barriers here and there. Female characters do just as much good as male ones in Freddy's world. Freddy comes to realize early in the game that while there is no end to his cleverness, he's rather lacking in the common sense department. By partnering with the down-to-earth cow Mrs. Wiggins, however, the two are able to combine their equal strengths and solve any number of crimes.

I haven't even mentioned the clever things Brooks has to say about our legal system or the state of law enforcement itself. You'll just have to discover them on your own as you read through what can certainly be called a true children's classic for the ages. A marvelous and deserves-to-be-remembered tale.

Editorial Review:

Freddy is inspired while reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to become a detective and, along with his intrepid partner Mrs. Wiggins the cow, is ultimately challenged to prove that Jinx the cat was framed for murder."

Honk The Moose (Nature)

Phil Stong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A delightful tale based on a true story 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

When Waino and Ivar find a moose in their father's stable, the critter looked so sad they couldn't bear to shoot him. The final solution to this unique situation is as heartwarming as it is entertaining. This is a delightful tale based on a true story from Biwabik, Minnesota, and replete with historical information about life for Finnish immigrant children in Minnesota. When it was originally published, Honk: The Moose won distinction as a Newbery Honors Book in 1936. It went on to win the Lewis Carol Shelf Award in 1970, and was listed in Cattermole's 100 Best Children's Books of the 20th Century. Now in a new edition from Trellis Publishing, Phil Strong's Honk: The Moose (wonderfully illustrated by Kurt Wiese) is once again introduced to a whole new generation of appreciative children.

Editorial Review:

Based on a true event in Biwabik, Minnesota, this is the classic tale of Honk, a hungry moose loose on the town. Honk is found by two young boys while munching away on hay in their father's stable. No one-not the policemen, not the mayor-knows what to do with Honk, so the boys come up with their own solution. They hide him in the bandstand in the park and sneak him some hay, and eventually the townspeople adjust to seeing a moose walk their streets. However, by the time spring arrives, Honk has gotten himself into trouble by eating the grocer's carrots and the farmer's potatoes, so he disappears, leaving the two boys sad. Still, Honk comes to town for a visit every now and then, and the town decides to adopt him as their own.

Li Lun, Lad of Courage (The Newbery Honor Roll)

Carolyn Treffinger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

very inspiring 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Li Lun Lad of Courage is a book about a young boy who lives in a small fishing village, but he is afraid of the sea. One day his dad ordered him to come fishing with him but he refused. So his dad gave him 7 rice grains and told him to plant rice on the mountain top of Lao Shan. Little did he know that that statement would change his life. When he climbs to the mountain top he encounters gulls, rats, drought and even an old priest. This is a story about love, courage, adventure and hardship.

Editorial Review:

Because of his fear of the sea, a young Chinese boy is sent to a distant mountain where he proves his bravery.

Freddy the Magician (Freddy the Pig Series)

Walter R. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Don't pass up this Ham!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Freddy the Magician is one of the all-time best Freddy books! If you haven't met Freddy yet, this book will introduce you to a good friend who will make you laugh out loud at his clever and witty escapades. Freddy, who is already a poet, a detective, a bank president and newspaper editor, becomes a magician. The excitement begins when Freddy's teacher tries to swindle him, and Freddy has to get his money back. Along the way, Freddy receives help from his good friends, Jinx the sarcastic cat, and Mrs. Wiggins the lovable cow. Buy this book for the favorite child in your life. He or she will be grateful for the introduction to one of literature's greatest pigs!

Editorial Review:

In Freddy the Magician, Freddy, who has won so many admirers in his roles of detective, pied piper, editor, general advisor to the animals on the Bean Farm, and-always-poet, will fascinate his readers in his role of magician. With the help of Jinx, the cat, and Jinx's sister, Minx, as well as many other well-known animals on the Bean Farm, Freddy pulls some wonderful tricks, not the least of which is outwitting the fraudulent magician who comes to entertain the unsuspecting inhabitants of the nearby town of Centerboro.

Freddy's and the Perilous Adventure

Walter R. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Ducks Lead the Way 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

When Freddy, in a sudden burst of irrepressible impishness manages to convince Emma and Alice, the Bean Farm ducks, to go for a balloon ride, he little expects that he too will have to take part in the adventure. But Mr. Golcher, the balloonist is every bit as sly as Freddy and, in no time at all Freddy has agreed not only to give a speech, but to ride with the ducks. What he also didn't realize until he was on the way up was that Mr. Golcher was staying behind, and that our pig, along with the duck sisters were on their own. When it turns out that the balloon has a faulty valve our not quite intrepid adventurers discover that they are in for an extended voyage.

All is not lost by any means. Freddy talks a friendly bald eagle into bringing them a food basket from the Bean kitchen, they weather a stormy night, and see some splendid scenery. Eventually, as all things do, the balloon descends enough for Freddy to get it down. Freddy leaves the ducks with the balloon and, after borrowing a tuxedo from a scarecrow, heads off to investigate. He soon discovers that the worst has happened. Mr. Golcher, infuriated at the loss of his balloon has accused Freddy of stealing it and the police of several counties are trying to capture the pig and bring him to justice. It will take all of Freddy's vast imagination and the help of both the Bean animals and the entire Boomschmidt Circus to get him out of trouble.

The reader will find many familiar characters here. In addition to the denizens of the Bean Farm and the Circus, Emma and Alice's Uncle Wesley manages to return. In addition, there are parachuting mice, somersaulting ducks and an ostrich ticket taker. Nor can one leave out the noble eagle, Breckenridge, who inspires a whole burst of poetry from Freddy. By the time the book reaches its climax the reader will be completely entranced as animals display character and style that we lowly humans can only imitate.

One of the nicest things about Walter Brooks' world is that the inevitable moral lessons are demonstrated rather than taught. And demonstrated in a delightful, ingenious way. In 1942 Brooks uses two timid lady ducks to demonstrate that adventuring is not just for male chauvinists and that having the courage to stand up for your rights keeps bullies at bay. Freddy's honesty saves the day at the end, and, as always, the importance of friends gets a good plug. Best of all is that the right things to do are also fun to do. Freddy is the pig for all ages.

Editorial Review:

The Fourth of July is no day for danger but that's just what's in store for the Bean Farm gang in Freddy and the Perilous Adventure. It all seemed so strange and exciting at first: Emma and Alice, Bean Farm's favorite ducks, and the intrepid Freddy, off for a glorious balloon ride to celebrate the nation's birthday. Of course, if Freddy and Emma and Alice and the other denizens of Bean Farm had known what was really in store for the brave aerialists in the Balloon Ascension they might just as well have remained quietly at home, listening to Freddy's poetry or to the boastful crowing of Charles.

Freddy and the Ignormus

Walter R. Brooks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Perhaps the Best 4 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Funny, more tightly plotted than usual, maybe the all around best Freddy title.
When I was a kid, I started reading "Flying Saucer Plans," found it not particularly compelling, and forgot about Freddy for many years.
Recently, I was casting about for something to read to my six year old son, who doesn't like much of anything except Esther Averill's "Cat Club" books (and we'd read all of those we could find), and decided to try "Florida," and we've been reading Freddy non-stop ever since.
I'm growing very fond of Brooks' gentle, character driven, sometimes satirical humor. I do have a few problems with the books. Brooks' relentless use of "pretty" as an all-purpose intensifier drives me up a wall, and if some editor had only crossed out "pretty" on sight I'd probably enjoy the books about twice as much (I drop "pretty" when reading aloud). I also wouldn't mind if he used "were" instead of "was" for the subjunctive occasionally. And the less of Freddy's poetry we get, the better.
But "Florida," "Detective," "Wiggins for President" (his best title, too bad it had to be changed), and "Ignormus" are certainly classics, and all the ones we've read have had their moments. I'm happy they're back and that I'm finally reading them. Eventually I'll work my way back up to those 50s sci-fi Freddies and see if I like 'em any better...
Never trust a man who would steal from a rhinoceros,
Edward

Editorial Review:

The trouble starts with the rumors about a strange creature called an Ignormus living in the Big Woods. Then the First Animal Bank is robbed and the rabbits and squirrels begin receiving letters demanding payment or the Ignormus will eat them up. With the animals too scared to do anything, it's up to Freddy the Pig to save the day, with a little help from his friends. But will they be able to stop the Ignormus in time? And what-or who-is the Ignormus, anyway?

"Welcome back, Freddy, you paragon of porkers!" (The Washington Post Book World