From the Friends´ mailbag

by Kevin W. Parker


One of the great pleasures Connie and I have with the work we do for the Friends of Freddy is that we get to read all of the letters that come in. And we had a remarkable opportunity recently. The mention of our organization in the New York Times Book Review in May elicited an unprecedented deluge of letters. These letters came in from people all over the country, in all walks of life, all of whom were delighted to find that they were not alone in admiration of our peerless porker and his chronicles. We´d like to welcome all of our new members onboard, and, for the pleasure of new members and old, provide some excerpts and summaries of what weve so enjoyed reading of late.

What struck me first was the number of people who wrote in on official stationery. Perhaps I´m reading too much into this, but my impression was that it was a way of saying I´m not just a fan of children´s books, Im also a doctor/lawyer/English professor/real estate appraiser/novelist/company president/dean of a divinity school. (Im not making any of these up.)

Many letter-writers echoed the sentiments of Peter Sussman (Berkeley, CA), who wrote author Adam Hothschild a delighted letter, reporting that in all the conversations about books one read as a kid:
I never--never--talked with anyone who remembered reading Freddy the Pig, and I began to believe I was hallucinating what seemed like an important part of my childhood. Then he read the article. Every detail, every illustration, brought back a surge of memories. It must be analogous to the feeling an adoptee has on first meeting his or her birth parent.
Cheri Hamilton (Fishkill, NY) had similar sentiments:
I am now a math teacher in an elementary school. Since I saw the article about Freddy, I have asked everyone, including five reading teachers, if they ever read the Freddy the Pig books. Not one--not even one--had ever heard of him. I laughed and told them that they had all had a deprived childhood. They all think Im a little crazy, anyway!
But the champion for total enthusiasm has to be Terry Hayes of Brooklyn:
Yes! Yes! Me too! Me too! How many of us are there? O my heart is weak as jello. Freddy lives!
Connie´s favorite letter is from eight-year-old Emily Altreuter (Buffalo, NY), who wrote that her father bought some of the Freddy books for her "when she was little."

Many reported their fond memories associated with the Freddy books:

Hillery James-Chung (Lake Mary, FL): "The highlight of my honeymoon [was finding] a Freddy book in Bermuda. (I read it aloud to my new husband that night, until he fell asleep!)"

Henry Somers (Marietta, OH): "[The article] stirred a host of pleasant memories for my wife and me. I recall the many evenings, sitting in the old Morris char, son on one arm, daughter on the other, twins, reading aloud all about the animals on the Bean Farm.
Our children are in their fifties now, but they recall Freddy and agree that he was important in their early living."

Others had their own personal observations:

John Wall (Raleigh, NC): "Charlottes Web is a great book, but White was never able to pull off a series, and Freddy is clearly some pig, too."

Lee Voegtlen (Inglewood, CA): "I shall notify my brother about the Friends of Freddy. Hes now a very busy businessman with lots of investments--including cows. Once, talking of that project, he let me see the usually well-hidden little boy inside. I love cows, he said. Mrs. Wiggins, Mrs. Wogus, and Mrs. Wurzburger!"

Judy Gitenstein (New York, NY): "While an editor at Dell Publishing, I reissued a few Freddy books in the Yearling paperback line. They did not sell well. I am thrilled to know there are others in the world who believe in Freddy."

Ed Vojtik (Waukesha, WI):
The impact that Walter R. Brooks has had on my vocabulary, my phrasing, and my observations of life has been nothing short of startling to me.

As I have begun to reread three or four Freddys a summer for the past five years, it is like having fifty years fade away. I can remember where I was when I read a particular book.

When I learned that you have a group, and that you meet, I was moved to the typewriter by a force greater than even Mrs. Wiggins rolling with laughter, or tears.
Lastly, the winner of the Barnyard Tours award for writing from the most far-flung province goes to Barbara Stoops, who misses her Freddy collection badly, as it is in storage in San Francisco, while she is at the Kobe University of Commerce in Japan.

Thanks to everyone for writing in, and we hope you enjoy reading the newsletters as much as we enjoyed reading your letters!