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★★★★★ 5
It's a really nice story about how we all have different ways of ...
A new acquaintance recently introduced me to "Frederick," a charming, very short children's picture book about a family of field mice who are preparing for the winter. One of them, a young mouse named Frederick, does not do much work and appears to be shirking his responsibilities. Frederick explains to his skeptical family that he IS working by quietly gathering imaginary sun rays for the cold winter days to come.
The book ends with the mice experiencing a tough winter, and then being inspired to carry on by a poem Frederick has created that grew out of his meditations when his family members thought he was being lazy. It's a really nice story about how we all have different ways of making contributions, and that important work is not always readily visible, especially creative endeavors.
The book also has some exercises for children, including one that guides a participant into writing a poem. If you read this story to a child and then make a poem together, it'll make a sweet project! A few of the words in the story are a bit advanced for young children, which offers a nice vocabulary building opportunity and does not detract from the story.
What I like best about "Frederick" is that it acknowledges that we humans are not all the same, and that we need our different talents and personalities to "make it through the winter." It might be especially nice to share with that child in your life who "marches to the beat of a different drummer."
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Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2015
