Freddy the Detective by Walter R. Brooks, 1932

There's trouble on the Bean farm. First a toy train disappears. Then Prinny the Dog's dinner is missing and Egbert the Rabbit is nowhere to be found. The animals of Bean Farm need a detective, and fast! Luckily, Freddy the Pig is on the case. Having just finished reading Sherlock Holmes, Freddy and his partner Mrs. Wiggins the Cow set up a detective agency in the barn. But when Freddy's best friend Jinx the Cat is framed for a dastardly deed, all of Freddy's detecting skills are put to the test. (Goodreads)


Review by Megan, reader and writer wannabe

When I'm looking for a calm, comfort read there are many books I turn to, and this is one of my favorites.

Freddy is not your average farm pig. He has been to Florida (Freddy goes to Florida) and to the North Pole (Freddy goes to the North Pole). He loves to read and frequently writes poetry. So it is no surprise to the other animals on Mr. Bean's farm when Freddy comes up with a new scheme: He will be a detective like Sherlock Holmes. He finds his first case right away: young Everett's toy train has gone missing. It was in his room when he went to sleep and when he woke up it was gone. It doesn't take Freddy long to figure out where it has gone: Simon the Rat and his relations are back in town.

Despite the looming crisis of the rats, Freddy and his friends get up to all sorts of adventures; there's the Case of Prinny's (a dog's) Missing Dinner, and the Disappearance of Egbert, a young rabbit. As criminals are caught, Freddy and his friends realize they must be brought to justice, so they have a meeting in the cow barn to elect a judge and find a place for a jail.

Written between 1927 and 1958, the Freddy the Pig series is filled with colorful characters and fun adventures without ever being inappropriate or slang-y. They are occasionally political, but that makes them all the more interesting to read and discuss. Though these books are beloved by many, they have been in and out of print for the last few decades. It was much to my family's delight to discover a few precious hardbacks at our local Half-Price Bookstore a few years ago, and they have since come out on Kindle.

Market: Elementary to Middle-grade readers

Language: None

Sensuality: None

Violence: a few tussles, and once or twice someone gets butted by the goat or sat on by the cows.

Mature Themes: In various books we have rude houseguests, rats and various other people. There are a few attempted eatings of the animals, but none ever succeed. The fact that animals are food is acknowledged, but not dwelt upon.

Book formats:

Hardcover

Paperback