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Freddy the Pig #18
Freddy Rides Again
The Freddy the Pig books have long been considered classics of American children's literature and with each reissue by The Overlook Press, this wonderful pig is charming his way into the hearts of more and more readers. Freddy's Bean Farm is a frolicking place and Freddy-whether he's a pilot, cowboy, explorer, politician, or detective-will always save the day and be sure to have fun doing it.
In Freddy Rides Again, Freddy-the porcine idol of people everywhere who love to laugh-gets it all started when he mixes it up with Mr. Elihu P. Margarine, a wealthy foxhunter who does not care a fig for the damaged vegetables he and his hunters leave in their wake. In the background, Henrietta the rooster chastises her husband Charles, "A fine mess you've got yourself into! You know where you'll end up, don't you? On a platter with a lot of dumplings, that's where!" With the help of Cy, the steed who taught Freddy to ride, Freddy rids the countryside of several menaces, including a rattlesnake and Elihu Margarine-making even Henrietta happy. It all makes for a stirring saga of a remarkably colorful pig and his steadfast barnyard compatriots.
In Freddy Rides Again, Freddy-the porcine idol of people everywhere who love to laugh-gets it all started when he mixes it up with Mr. Elihu P. Margarine, a wealthy foxhunter who does not care a fig for the damaged vegetables he and his hunters leave in their wake. In the background, Henrietta the rooster chastises her husband Charles, "A fine mess you've got yourself into! You know where you'll end up, don't you? On a platter with a lot of dumplings, that's where!" With the help of Cy, the steed who taught Freddy to ride, Freddy rids the countryside of several menaces, including a rattlesnake and Elihu Margarine-making even Henrietta happy. It all makes for a stirring saga of a remarkably colorful pig and his steadfast barnyard compatriots.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1951
2 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Walter Rollin Brooks
51 books65 followersWalter Rollin Brooks (January 9, 1886 – August 17, 1958) was an American writer best remembered for his short stories and children's books, particularly those about Freddy the Pig and other anthropomorphic animal inhabitants of the "Bean farm" in upstate New York.
Born in Rome, New York, Brooks attended college at the University of Rochester and subsequently studied homeopathic medicine in New York City. He dropped out after two years, however, and returned to Rochester, where he married his first wife, Anne Shepard, in 1909. Brooks found employment with an advertising agency in Utica, and then "retired" in 1911, evidently because he came into a considerable inheritance. His retirement was not permanent: in 1917, he went to work for the American Red Cross and later did editorial work for several magazines, including The New Yorker.
In 1940, Brooks turned to his own writing for his full-time occupation. Walter married his second wife, Dorothy Collins, following the death of Anne in 1952.
The first works Brooks published were poems and short stories. His short story "Ed Takes the Pledge" about a talking horse was the basis for the 1960s television comedy series Mister Ed (credit for creating the characters is given in each episode to "Walter Brooks"). His most enduring works, however, are the 26 books he wrote about Freddy the Pig and his friends.
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Born in Rome, New York, Brooks attended college at the University of Rochester and subsequently studied homeopathic medicine in New York City. He dropped out after two years, however, and returned to Rochester, where he married his first wife, Anne Shepard, in 1909. Brooks found employment with an advertising agency in Utica, and then "retired" in 1911, evidently because he came into a considerable inheritance. His retirement was not permanent: in 1917, he went to work for the American Red Cross and later did editorial work for several magazines, including The New Yorker.
In 1940, Brooks turned to his own writing for his full-time occupation. Walter married his second wife, Dorothy Collins, following the death of Anne in 1952.
The first works Brooks published were poems and short stories. His short story "Ed Takes the Pledge" about a talking horse was the basis for the 1960s television comedy series Mister Ed (credit for creating the characters is given in each episode to "Walter Brooks"). His most enduring works, however, are the 26 books he wrote about Freddy the Pig and his friends.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 12, 2016
This is another Freddy the Pig title I rescued from the library which was discarding it. Delightful, funny, intelligent. My copy is not listed on Goodreads and is old enough it doesn't have an ISBN to post. I'm pleased to see these titles have been republished lately. Another generation of kids should not be deprived of this series!
Synopsis: Freddy and the Bean Farm animals have to deal with a super rich new neighbor who believes throwing money at people will make them do what he wants them to do. He hadn't met Mr. and Mrs. Bean when he started believing this! Freddy Has a whirlwind of activity in this story.
One of the best parts is when Freddy realizes that the son of the enemy, who seemed to be as obnoxious as Dad, may not be all that bad after all.
Synopsis: Freddy and the Bean Farm animals have to deal with a super rich new neighbor who believes throwing money at people will make them do what he wants them to do. He hadn't met Mr. and Mrs. Bean when he started believing this! Freddy Has a whirlwind of activity in this story.
One of the best parts is when Freddy realizes that the son of the enemy, who seemed to be as obnoxious as Dad, may not be all that bad after all.
September 6, 2024
Porcine Cowboy Patrols, Songs, and Shootouts
In the eighteenth of Walter R. Brooks’ Freddy the Pig books, Freddy Rides Again (1951), the cowboy fad on the Bean farm begun in Freddy the Cowboy (1950) is in full swing. Freddy has been riding around dressed like a cowboy on Cy, the horse he bought and rescued from a bad cowboy in the previous novel, Jinx the black cat has been wearing a gun belt and patrolling on Bill the goat, the four kitchen mice are swaggering around with little wooden guns in their waist belt holsters (made by Mrs. Bean), and passersby are likely to be accosted by cowboy rabbits and told to reach for the sky.
Into this feisty, funny NY State countryside context barges the wealthy, aristocratic, and arrogant Margarine family. Not only are the Margarines given to British-style fox hunting, which although failing to threaten the wily local fox John does involve riding over many a farmer’s field and many a rabbit’s home, they also condescendingly mock the locals, demand they paint their red barns green, and generally behave like feudal lords joining a club they immediately try to dominate.
Donning his lightning bolt cowboy outfit, packing two pistols (one firing blanks, the other squirting water), and toting his guitar, Freddy leads his fellow talking animal friends (including mammals, insects, birds, and amphibians) to resist the domineering Margarines. The conflict soon threatens to break out into war. Freddy disguises himself (with a lank-haired black wig and mustache) as the Comanche Kid and gets himself hired to find, capture, and scalp Freddy the pig, while Mr. Margarine is getting himself deputized so as to track down and arrest Freddy. Meanwhile, Billy Margarine starts doing some self-reflection when everywhere he goes, he’s met by mocking animal laughter.
There is a comical and moving moment where Billy mistakes Freddy in his cowboy costume for Mr. and Mrs. Bean’s son. It’s a funny but revealing mistake, because the Beans have no human son, and Freddy is essentially their pig-boy.
Brooks introduces a new cat character, Arthur, who’s escaped from his cushiony life with the Margarines to live on the Bean farm, because of a shameful secret. Arthur is an intriguing character because we can’t quite be sure if he’s as benign as he seems or is a double agent spy or a crafty killer.
The Horrible Ten—rabbits disguising themselves with cowls and tin knives and surrounding victims at night and chanting blood curdling songs composed by Freddy—make an impressive appearance, though now they are the Horrible Thirty, which necessitates a new song…
The climactic gunfight between bank presidents, one human, one porcine, is suspenseful and comical, involving real guns, fake guns, real wasps, and an animal audience.
Brooks writes his usual amusing Animal Facts, like “Never trust a cat that has a saintly expression.”
And his usual keen lines on human nature, like “I was just getting so I hated him, and then he has to go do something I admire him for. I wish people would be good all over or bad all over.”
And his usual ethical lines for kids, like “No joke is good if it hurts somebody’s feelings.”
And his usual whimsically funny stuff, like, “Freddy knew that he was running into danger, but the thought that his precious poems might be strewn about and trampled into the dirt made him reckless.”
And the cowboy matter of the novel is by turns exciting, parodying, and amusing:
“Of course Freddy had never seen a prairie, but he didn’t see why he shouldn’t sing about it. ‘Most cowboy songs,” he said, “are written by folks that have never been west of Niagara Falls.’”
If it feels lighter on plot than the best Freddy books, the novel has charm, as in its many comical poems and songs. It’s all fun—except for a strange subplot featuring an interloping rattlesnake, a potentially interesting new character that’s under used and poorly used.
Kurt Weise’s monochrome illustrations are prime: Jinx the black cat looks dashing in his cowboy trappings, some basketball playing mice look athletic, and Freddy looks like a pig despite doing a lot of things that only people can do. None of the animals looks Disney-cute.
Freddy the Pig completionists should read this book, but anyone else should start with earlier ones in the series, like the marvelous Freddy the Politician or Freddy and the Popinjay.
In the eighteenth of Walter R. Brooks’ Freddy the Pig books, Freddy Rides Again (1951), the cowboy fad on the Bean farm begun in Freddy the Cowboy (1950) is in full swing. Freddy has been riding around dressed like a cowboy on Cy, the horse he bought and rescued from a bad cowboy in the previous novel, Jinx the black cat has been wearing a gun belt and patrolling on Bill the goat, the four kitchen mice are swaggering around with little wooden guns in their waist belt holsters (made by Mrs. Bean), and passersby are likely to be accosted by cowboy rabbits and told to reach for the sky.
Into this feisty, funny NY State countryside context barges the wealthy, aristocratic, and arrogant Margarine family. Not only are the Margarines given to British-style fox hunting, which although failing to threaten the wily local fox John does involve riding over many a farmer’s field and many a rabbit’s home, they also condescendingly mock the locals, demand they paint their red barns green, and generally behave like feudal lords joining a club they immediately try to dominate.
Donning his lightning bolt cowboy outfit, packing two pistols (one firing blanks, the other squirting water), and toting his guitar, Freddy leads his fellow talking animal friends (including mammals, insects, birds, and amphibians) to resist the domineering Margarines. The conflict soon threatens to break out into war. Freddy disguises himself (with a lank-haired black wig and mustache) as the Comanche Kid and gets himself hired to find, capture, and scalp Freddy the pig, while Mr. Margarine is getting himself deputized so as to track down and arrest Freddy. Meanwhile, Billy Margarine starts doing some self-reflection when everywhere he goes, he’s met by mocking animal laughter.
There is a comical and moving moment where Billy mistakes Freddy in his cowboy costume for Mr. and Mrs. Bean’s son. It’s a funny but revealing mistake, because the Beans have no human son, and Freddy is essentially their pig-boy.
Brooks introduces a new cat character, Arthur, who’s escaped from his cushiony life with the Margarines to live on the Bean farm, because of a shameful secret. Arthur is an intriguing character because we can’t quite be sure if he’s as benign as he seems or is a double agent spy or a crafty killer.
The Horrible Ten—rabbits disguising themselves with cowls and tin knives and surrounding victims at night and chanting blood curdling songs composed by Freddy—make an impressive appearance, though now they are the Horrible Thirty, which necessitates a new song…
The climactic gunfight between bank presidents, one human, one porcine, is suspenseful and comical, involving real guns, fake guns, real wasps, and an animal audience.
Brooks writes his usual amusing Animal Facts, like “Never trust a cat that has a saintly expression.”
And his usual keen lines on human nature, like “I was just getting so I hated him, and then he has to go do something I admire him for. I wish people would be good all over or bad all over.”
And his usual ethical lines for kids, like “No joke is good if it hurts somebody’s feelings.”
And his usual whimsically funny stuff, like, “Freddy knew that he was running into danger, but the thought that his precious poems might be strewn about and trampled into the dirt made him reckless.”
And the cowboy matter of the novel is by turns exciting, parodying, and amusing:
“Of course Freddy had never seen a prairie, but he didn’t see why he shouldn’t sing about it. ‘Most cowboy songs,” he said, “are written by folks that have never been west of Niagara Falls.’”
If it feels lighter on plot than the best Freddy books, the novel has charm, as in its many comical poems and songs. It’s all fun—except for a strange subplot featuring an interloping rattlesnake, a potentially interesting new character that’s under used and poorly used.
Kurt Weise’s monochrome illustrations are prime: Jinx the black cat looks dashing in his cowboy trappings, some basketball playing mice look athletic, and Freddy looks like a pig despite doing a lot of things that only people can do. None of the animals looks Disney-cute.
Freddy the Pig completionists should read this book, but anyone else should start with earlier ones in the series, like the marvelous Freddy the Politician or Freddy and the Popinjay.
June 23, 2021
3.5 rounded down because I don't like the glamorization of guns, and incidental dismissal of "Injuns." These are fun, though, and in between parts I don't like there are lots of interesting lines and gentle humor and life lessons....
Charles and Henrietta don't have nearly the size role implied by the blurb. Jinx, the dogs, the usual characters, don't much either. The rabbits, esp. 23, the cows, Cy the cow horse, the sheriff and other humans, are much more significant.
Charles and Henrietta don't have nearly the size role implied by the blurb. Jinx, the dogs, the usual characters, don't much either. The rabbits, esp. 23, the cows, Cy the cow horse, the sheriff and other humans, are much more significant.
August 16, 2022
Freddy does more and more things that require thumbs. HE HAS TROTTERS! I'm afraid a book series about a talking pig has finally lost its realism.
November 9, 2022
Great. I love everything about this one. Unfortunately, it's also the last really good Freddy book. I know you won't listen to me, but you would do well to stop here.
October 5, 2023
Just read this again to prepare for the Freddy the Pig convention! It's great, and there are many truths hidden in the simple story.
August 30, 2009
Even though I was a child in the 50s, before the 'Freddy' books went out of vogue (and print), I hadn't read them. So I was surprised when the parents of a student I worked with said they were an important part of their childhood. Their son loved them, too, so I was curious. Investigating, I was intrigued to learn that a short story by Brooks was the basis for 'Mr.Ed.' A horse is a horse of course, unless of course it's a talking horse. The 'Freddy' series is filled with talking animals who, like Mr. Ed, do not live in an imaginary children's world where animals are expected to talk. That means many children and adults do not know quite what to make of them. The animals may talk to humans, and may not. It's a rather clever literary conceit. I discovered that after a half century, Overlook Press has reissued many of these books, but only in hardcover and at a steep price (for children's books). My curiosity was not strong enough to overcome my parsimony (although I could have used the library). Then I saw 'Freddy Rides Again' in a pile of remainders at my local book store. I could deal with four bucks, and thus have been pleasantly introduced to the classic, wonderful and comic Freddy the Pig, composer of verse, banker, cowboy and detective. I'll keep searching the remainder bins, or maybe buy some more used.
February 12, 2019
I liked it. It's right after Freddy the Cowboy and Mr. Margarine and his son Billy like to go on fox hunts and they destroy a lot of the property of the farmers. But then he pays them back. So Freddy has to stop them, but just Mr. Bean's farm don't do it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2019
i liked it
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews