Description

The Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Year. Children’s Book of the Week in both the Times and Guardian.

The Misadventures of Frederick is a funny, joyful story about friendship and the delights of outdoor adventures (even for the accident-prone) – wonderfully written by the talented Ben Manley and beautifully illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, creator of Plumdog and Blue Kangaroo.

In a mansion surrounded by lakes and forests, Frederick is bored. He leads a very sheltered life: and when Emily invites him to play outside he has no choice but to refuse – what if he hurts himself? Much better to stay safely indoors. But Emily is not one to take no for an answer . . .

A series of brilliantly funny and evocative letters between Frederick and Emily tell this unique story which weaves together the colourful, adventurous world of Emily with Frederick’s drab life of boredom and safety.

Publisher Review

A tale of sly wit and sunlit joy * The Guardian * this evocative story highlights the importance of making friends and enjoying open space -- Emma Lee-Potter * The Express * The witty language from Ben Manley combines warmth with exquisite illustrations from Emma Chichester-Clark. -- Amanda Craig * The New Statesman * There's a lot to be said for a book that starts out with instructions on how to make a paper plane. It's even better, in Ben Manley's The Misadventures of Frederick, when most of the story revolves around paper planes sent from a little girl called Emily having adventures in the dangerous outdoors to a little boy called Frederick, stuck indoors in a mansion for health and safety reasons. Emma Chichester Clark's pictures are irresistible. * Evening Standard * The Edward Goreyesque tone of Frederick's correspondence and the vibrancy of Chichester Clark's images weave together in a tale of sly wit and sunlit joy. * Guardian * Outdoor scenes full of birds and squirrels, lit by autumnal sunshine, and indoor scenes of dim splendour, into which nature progressively intrudes, make this picture book a gorgeous object that deserves sustained attention. * Sunday Times * Manley's words are perfectly pitched, spare and funny; Chichester Clark, one of our finest writers and illustrators for very young children, pumps colour into Frederick's life in her exquisite illustrations. * The Times *