Every now and again I get requests to review items and books. One such request came to review a children’s book called Freddi the Dog. The book is written by Lisa and Randy Herman and inspired by their real life dog.
The story is about Freddi being left home alone and mistaking items around the house as food, such as a pillow for a marshmallow or a phone for a hot dog. Freddi proceeds to eat these items. When the owners come home the man of the house is understandably upset and sends Freddi out for the night. Freddi spends an agonizing night moaning and crying until finally it wakes the family. Turns out that Freddi is very sick from all the things she had eaten. The owners decide to take her to the veterinarian.
After reading the book I looked it up online to see what others were saying about it. The book is a new release so there were not too many reviews out there. However, I feel it is important to note that the ones out there are positive. Why is that important? It is important because I cannot be that generous. While this may make me unpopular with those who loved the book or the authors (I regret that..really I do) I cannot give this book a positive review. This is just one woman’s opinion and I certainly do not want to dissuade anyone from reading the book. Let me go over the pros and cons of the book.
Pros:
The concept of the dog eating everything in sight and attributing that to the items reminding the dog of food is very creative. The attempt at humor is successful. My 12 year old agreed the book was creative on that front. My 5 year old thought this to be mildly funny.
Cons:
Get ready to throw your tomatoes and practice booing but I did not like the writing style. In fact, I would have to say it was poorly written. The book is written as if someone is telling the story aloud in an expressive manner. However, the grammar and sentence structure leaves much to be desired and the implication of how the book is to be told was simply “trying too hard”. I also have a problem with the excessive use of exclamation points. This book has far more than its fair share. It is really not necessary to use an exclamation point in triplicate.
Children’s books in my home which do not live up to the quality of Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Lyle the Crocodile are quickly pushed aside. I would classify Freddi the Dog in the twaddle category. If you seek a hysterical, short, fun, book try Parts by Tedd Arnold. Parts retains it humor and wit while written in a whimsical fashion. While this was the intention of Freddi the Dog,it did not quite hit the mark.
What did my kids think? My five and two year olds thought it was funny but right now they are in a Dr. Seuss phase so nothing can compare. My 12 year old thought it was creative but did not like the climax or ending. I must agree the climax was shaky and the ending was hollow.
My apologies to Freddi and Freddi fans but this book simply not up to par with quality children’s literature. I do encourage all to decide for themselves. I am the same person who thought sitting through the movie Avatar was sheer torture.