I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Imaginary Fred
by
Eoin Colfer
picture book in a hardcover edition that was published by HarperCollins on September 29, 2015 and has 48 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Hangman's Revolution, The Forever Man
A standalone picture book revolving around friendship.
My Take
Aw, it’s that third person point-of-view from Fred’s perspective that makes this so sad. An imaginary friend who floats through the sky, waiting, hoping for a forever friend. And it has quite the unexpected twist that ends so happily.
The graphics are all line drawings with a few bits of color thrown in. Except for Fred. Fred is a collection of blue dots, big and clustered for his head and legs, small and scattered for his torso, and a combination for his arms. Frieda is a sort of solid yellow with her hair the more solid part of her. Both incorporate few scribbles of line detail for their hair and face…and sometimes their arms or hands.
It’s a sweet tale of friendship that crosses all lines.
The 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 Characters
Fred is an imaginary person who floats through the clouds until a wish brings him to a friend.
Sam is a lonely boy who loves reading, music, exploring, creating comics,
Sammi is a new friend who also loves to read and create comics. Frieda is Sammi’s imaginary friend.
The Quarreling Quartet play music together. The Dramatic Duo is the Fred and Sam writing team.
The Cover and Title
The cover is classy with its pale blue and the intricate gold scrollwork surrounding a white cloud that forms the background for the deep blue title in two fonts in the top half of the cover. Below it are two boys, one a blue-dotted imagination with a line drawing of Sam, his arm around his friend, Fred. At the bottom is the author’s and illustrator’s names in gold using the same two fonts as in the title.
The title is of the primary character, Imaginary Fred.
