Freddy and the Men from Mars (Freddy the Pig Series)

Rating:
Summary: Pig 200, Rats 0
Review: Freddy the Pig and his friends from the Bean farm have come a long way from their first trip to Florida in 1928. Now they have a Farm Animals Republic, a bank, a newspaper, an atomic powered car and even a rocket ship. But, despite the prestige and renown of being Bean farm animals, their basic nature had remains the same - they are honest, forthright, and darned funny.

Things bode ill for the Boomschmidt Circus when Herbert Garble (who has never had an honest day in his life) joins them with six strange looking men from Mars - each a foot high, in red pajamas and wearing red fluffy whiskers. Freddy is sure there is some fraud involved, but the Circus is making a ton of money and the last thing the farm animals want to do is hurt Mr. Boomschmidt. Freddy, Jinx the Cat, Uncle Ben and Mrs. Peppercorn head out to investigate.

What they find is pretty fishy, or rather, pretty ratty. Mean old Simon the rat and his family are up to their necks in trouble making, and Garble's Martians are just the start. If the rats have their way the Beans will be forced off their farm and Uncle Ben will lose his rocket ship. Drastic times call for drastic measures as the animals prepare to go to war.

If things are strange with fake Martians, they get stranger when a flying saucer full of real Martians shows up to investigate. Soon there are rats pretending they are Martians, rabbits pretending they are rats pretending they are Martians, and real Martians stirring the pot. As Freddy nearly is sent to Montana to become pork chops and bacon, everything hangs in the balance.

As always Walter Brooks' tales combine humor and suspense with a natural sense of values that apply equally to animal and man. If the science in this book is a bit silly it is still engaging enough for its intended readership. And the simple lessons of friendship and doing what is right never grow old.

Rating:
Summary: Pig 200, Rats 0
Review: Freddy the Pig and his friends from the Bean farm have come a long way from their first trip to Florida in 1928. Now they have a Farm Animals Republic, a bank, a newspaper, an atomic powered car and even a rocket ship. But, despite the prestige and renown of being Bean farm animals, their basic nature had remains the same - they are honest, forthright, and darned funny.

Things bode ill for the Boomschmidt Circus when Herbert Garble (who has never had an honest day in his life) joins them with six strange looking men from Mars - each a foot high, in red pajamas and wearing red fluffy whiskers. Freddy is sure there is some fraud involved, but the Circus is making a ton of money and the last thing the farm animals want to do is hurt Mr. Boomschmidt. Freddy, Jinx the Cat, Uncle Ben and Mrs. Peppercorn head out to investigate.

What they find is pretty fishy, or rather, pretty ratty. Mean old Simon the rat and his family are up to their necks in trouble making, and Garble's Martians are just the start. If the rats have their way the Beans will be forced off their farm and Uncle Ben will lose his rocket ship. Drastic times call for drastic measures as the animals prepare to go to war.

If things are strange with fake Martians, they get stranger when a flying saucer full of real Martians shows up to investigate. Soon there are rats pretending they are Martians, rabbits pretending they are rats pretending they are Martians, and real Martians stirring the pot. As Freddy nearly is sent to Montana to become pork chops and bacon, everything hangs in the balance.

As always Walter Brooks' tales combine humor and suspense with a natural sense of values that apply equally to animal and man. If the science in this book is a bit silly it is still engaging enough for its intended readership. And the simple lessons of friendship and doing what is right never grow old.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Bean Sci-Fi
Review: I was prejudiced against Bean's fifties incursion into space after the tedium of "Freddy and the Space Ship," but "Men from Mars" proved to be a surprisingly strong title. My six year old son laughed a lot and was thrilled when one of his favorite villains showed up. A good one!

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Bean Sci-Fi
Review: I was prejudiced against Bean's fifties incursion into space after the tedium of "Freddy and the Space Ship," but "Men from Mars" proved to be a surprisingly strong title. My six year old son laughed a lot and was thrilled when one of his favorite villains showed up. A good one!