Dreamers may be different, but no matter what our individual talents we all need to participate in life and help out as part of a family or community.Ĭhildren do need stories about kids who are different, books that celebrate unique natures, but when it comes to understanding individuality, I prefer stories like Ferdinand the Bull or Doris Burn's Andrew Henry's Meadow. It's OK for poets and other artists to wash the dishes. Even when all the mice are starving together, it's not Frederick who offers to warm everyone with his stories and colors and poems, the other mice have to ask. What bothers me the most about Frederick is that he never offers his gifts. Couldn't he carry some corn, maybe a little more slowly, but still gather winter food while he was dreaming? Why was he so helpless and dependent? Why was he so callous? Did he deserve all the glory? Some would say that's Frederick's 'work.' Perhaps, but dreamers still need to participate in life.Īs a child I wanted Frederick to get up and help. I knew what it was like to feel different from the other mice, to view the world differently, sometimes to observe.įrederick sits and dreams while the other field mice work.

As a young writer myself, I partly identified as Frederick. Sure, we need to make room for unique individuals and honor poets, artists and storytellers. Entire curricula are drawn up to teach the messages in Frederick. Frederick won the Caldecott Medal and it's consistently voted into the top 100 books for children. Frederick is a philosopher mouse and he's held up as an example of individuality. He's a writer, a rhymer, a color gatherer. A mouse who is different from all the rest of the field mice. Frederick is the classic story of a mouse who is a dreamer and a poet.

There's something about Leo Lionni's beloved children's book, Frederick, that has always bothered me.

This beloved mouse has always bothered me.

Frederick the mouse