Frederick

Lionni, L. (1987). Frederick.  New York: Dragonfly Books. 

Grade Level: Pre-K-2

Genre: Picture Book- This book is primarily composed of illustrations that tell the story and is aimed at young readers.

Summary: Frederick is a field mouse.  It is summer and his family is preparing for winter, but Frederick isn’t helping.  While his family is gathering food for the winter, Frederick just sits outside.  Many times they ask him what he is doing and he tells them.  He tells them he is gathering sunrays, colors, and words for the long, dark winter.  Finally, winter arrives and the mouse family took to their hideout.  At first, there was lots of food and lots of stories, but eventually they ran out of food and stories.  This is where Frederick comes in.
 
Reflection: Lionni uses collages for his illustrations and what they lack in color, they make up in detail.  The story makes the reader realize that every person in a family contributes in their own way.  One way is not necessarily better than the other, just different.  Children will enjoy this story because of the illustrations and teachers will read the story because of its message. It is also a good book to use to teach the seasons or to teach about cooperation and conflict within families. I would ask students to make text-to-self connections and to compare Frederick's family to their own. Questions for discussion may include: What kind of mouse is Frederick? How do you know? Would you want Frederick to be in your family? Why? Frederick is a wonderful book that is a great addition to any library.