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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003100511 | Picture Books | COLFER | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
From the internationally bestselling author Eoin Colfer and the New York Times Bestselling illustrator of The Day the Crayons Quit comes a quirky, funny, and utterly irresistible story.
Did you know that sometimes, with a little electricity, or luck, or even magic, an imaginary friend might appear when you need one? An imaginary friend like Fred.
Fred floated like a feather in the wind until Sam, a lonely little boy, wished for him and, together, they found a friendship like no other.
The perfect chemistry between Eoin Colfer's text and Oliver Jeffers's artwork makes for a dazzlingly original picture book.
Author Notes
Eoin Colfer was born in Wexford, Ireland on May 14, 1965. After taking a three-year degree course in Dublin, he qualified as a primary teacher in 1986. Returning to Wexford he began teaching in a local primary school by day and wrote at night. In 1991, he left Ireland and spent the next four years working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. Resettling in Wexford after his arrival back in Ireland, he recommenced his teaching career, continuing his habit of writing after school. His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in October 1998. His other works include Benny and Babe, the O'Brien Flyers series, and the Artemis Fowl series. He became a full-time author following the success of Artemis Fowl. The Wish List won a Bisto Merit Award in 2001.
In 2015 he won an Irish Book Award in the children's category with his title Imaginary Fred.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-As an imaginary friend, Fred comes to Earth when lonely children wish for him, becoming whatever they need him to be, whether a companion to throw a ball with or someone willing to become the ball. When his friends outgrow him, finding real friends, Fred starts to disappear and his blue pixelated form vanishes until there is barely a scrap of him left, "just enough for the wind to catch and whisk him into the sky." Jeffers's clean, expressive black lines serve to contrast the corporeal world of Fred's friends and the world around them with Fred himself, who has substance but no outline. One day a boy named Sam wishes for Fred, and at last Fred finds someone who shares his interests and might just be a real friend. Eventually, though, Sam finds a real friend and, once again, Fred feels himself start to disappear-until, that is, he meets Sam's imaginary friend, Frieda. Together, Fred and Frieda form an imaginary friendship so real they never fade away. Tongue-in-cheek details in Jeffers's illustrations, such as a pig getting hit by lightning in order to summon Fred to Sam's side, juxtapose ironically with Colfer's simple text in a manner that will doubtless please child readers, especially those fond of the artist's other work. VERDICT An effervescent bit of fun.-Anna Stover, Poughkeepsie Day School, NY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this smart collaboration, Colfer and Jeffers introduce Fred, a seasoned imaginary friend. Fred knows the drill: he keeps lonely children company until a human friend appears, then clears out ("Usually by lunchtime on the second day, Fred would be mostly invisible"). Jeffers's spidery vignettes are perfectly synced to Colfer's bubbly, confiding narrative, and he underscores Fred's evanescent nature by giving him a body of half-tone aqua dots that deepen and fade. Secretly, Fred pines for a forever friend; his current human assignee, Sam, shares all of his interests-reading, music, playacting. When Sam meets a girl named Sammi, Fred is downcast, especially when Sam leaves a note that says he and Sammi are working on a comic book. "Comic book? thought Fred. That was our idea. Me and Sam." But Sammi has her own imaginary friend, Frieda (her half-tone mesh is yellow), and the four thrive. There's always anguish when a close friend finds someone new, but Colfer and Jeffers show that shuffling allegiances can sometimes multiply the fun. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency. Illustrator's agent: Paul Moreton, Bell, Lomax, Moreton Agency. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.