Sometimes a humorous children's book is exactly what I need. Children's books, especially the Freddy books, are light, laughter invoking and a little naive. In Freddy Goes To The North Pole, a title I ordered used online, Freddy the pig and some of his farm animal friends are bored with life on Mr.Bean's farm in the north-eastern United States. One day with much planning and fanfare, they set out for the North Pole. Not long after their departure, news comes back to the farm that they've been taken hostage on a whaling ship.
A second groups of animals, led by a crow, set out as a rescue party. This party, an odd assortment of cows, mice, roosters and more, make their way into Canada. Finding themselves without food or warm clothing, they give lectures on "the world" in exchange for the necessities of survival. When they reach the North Pole, they face a new set of challenges, but they also enjoy the pleasures of perpetual Christmas.
Neither the author nor the general reader care to question why eagles are flying so far north, why no-one suffers from frostbite, or how feasible it would be for a group of lone animals to overpower customs officials and cross the border, but as in many fantastical children's books none of this seems to matter. I can easily suspend my disbelief and laugh uncontrollably while 4000 ants attack a pack of wolves who have taken a rooster and a dog hostage.
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