Talking Animals and Others
Cart, whose lifelong love of the Freddy the Pig books is well known in children’s book circles, has thoroughly researched the life of Walter R. Brooks, Freddy’s creator, and chronicles it clearly and objectively. His solid knowledge of Brooks’ writing is enhanced by his numerous interviews with people who knew Brooks well and by his thoughtful analysis of the man. Readers familiar with Brooks only as a writer of children’s books may be surprised to learn that during the same years when Freddy’s imaginative adventures were appearing (1927–58), Brooks was publishing witty, urbane short stories in magazines such as Esquire, Argosy, and Atlantic Monthly. Also, he created the talking-horse character later popularized by the TV series Mister Ed. The book’s black-and-white photos offer glimpses of Brooks and his world. Extensive commentary on the Freddy books, lengthy lists of Brooks’ other stories and novels, and chapter-by-chapter source notes conclude this informative and thoroughly readable introduction to Brooks’ life and works. --Carolyn Phelan