Fred – a magical bedtime story

Fred by Posy Simmonds(Random House, 1987)Good to Read for:a cosy, lengthier bedtime storysupporting kids over the loss of a loved petdeveloping visual literacyThe story begins with Sophie and Nick – two young children who are ‘sit[ting] outside their house feeling sad.’ Sophie explains to a neighbour, “Our cat, Fred, has died.”

‘Everyone is sad when they hear the news’ – and everyone comments on how much time Fred spent napping.

 

Fred used to sleep all the time.

He also liked eating…

and purring and sitting on laps…

but most of all, he liked sleeping…

   

The family gather to bury their beloved cat under the buddleia bush at the end of the garden (alongside the guinea pig and a beetle). And the story might have ended there.

   

Instead, Simmonds takes a familiar (if sad) scenario from everyday life and wraps it in a cosy blanket of fantasy, creating a gentle, touching, and fun story. I can imagine it would support children experiencing grief, acting as it does to remember the dearly departed with love and thanks. It also opens up the notion that even those nearest and dearest to us may have hidden depths. (Another picture book that excels at this is The Frank Show by David Mackintosh.)

Fred was Simmonds’ first picture book. By then, she was established as a first-rate cartoonist for the likes of the Guardian newspaper, and those finely honed skills transfer to picture books perfectly. Despite being a panelled ‘comic’ story, Fred has a natural rhythm and flow when read aloud. In his monograph, Posy Simmonds, Paul Gravett notes:

 

[Simmonds] punctuates with few exclamation marks, and favours ellipses to make her characters’ speech and thoughts naturally pause, and to give her captions a measured flow.

– The Illustrators: Posy Simmonds by Paul Gravett 

Elsewhere, her use of ‘silent’ panels (notably at the start of the story when the children fall asleep) lulls and soothes.

Aside from the visual pacing, Simmonds has an ear for dialogue. (In interviews, Simmonds often tells how she jots down overheard conversations). The effect in Fred is a reassuring realism that somehow makes the ensuing fantasy even more magical! Like this, for example:

 

Fred won’t be sleeping on my bed anymore…

No… I know..

We’ll all miss him, won’t we?

Yes

Poor pussy

Poor old lazy Fred…

 

During the night, Sophie is woken by the sound of caterwauling.

   

She peers outside then wakes her little brother. (“Look! In the garden…a cat…in a HAT!”)

   

They creep downstairs, giggling and whispering. Outside, ‘Mrs Spedding’s Ginger’ is in their garden. Dressed as an undertaker, he tearfully asks the children if they are ‘friends of our dear departed [Fred]’. 

   

He was OURS!

YOURS? YOU…OWNED FRED?!

YES!

YOU…owned the MOST FAMOUS CAT in the WORLD?

Fred?

Famous?

   

As they chat, a vast crowd of mourners (cats and even the occasional rodent) gather in the cool, blue night. Clambering over garden walls and down from the rooftops, each one dressed fit for the fanciest of funerals. The surreal and dreamlike quality is enhanced by their bouquets of ridiculously oversized flowers, which punctuate the scene with bright pops of colour.

   

It’s now that the truth is revealed to Sophie and Nick. Yes, their beloved Fred indeed slept all day. But only because he led an exciting double life! As Ginger explains, each night, the neighbourhood moggies would gather and wait:

 

[T]he back door would open…and the lights went out, and all was hushed… and then, Fred would make his bow… and start to sing… MeYOWL!

 

I’m partial to a bit of Elvis, and Simmonds has clearly been influenced by Presley’s Vegas years. Famous Fred cavorts and wails with his band, The Heavy Saucers, as his fans go wild for ‘the greatest singer in the world!’

    

The funeral procession (led by Mrs Spedding’s Ginger) is a noisy affair with plenty of woeful caterwauling. ‘[O]ne by one, the mourners lay their wreaths and flowers on the grave’ before heading to Adelaide Road, where a feast (from the dustbins, of course!) is being held in Fred’s honour.

   

The ensuing din becomes too much for the residents of Adelaide Road. The party abruptly ends as a saucepan of water is thrown down onto the gathering. Ginger calls the alarm – “Scatter, cats!” – and with a brief handshake goodbye, the soggy moggies disappear.

   

As with Raymond Briggs’ fantastical The Snowman, all good things must come to an end. The magic subsides, and Sophie and Nick creep inside and back to bed. ‘[S]oon, first Nick…and then Sophie, fall fast asleep.’

I love the ambiguous ending of the morning after the night before. Fred’s family discovers hundreds of ‘little, muddy pawprints’ running through the house (from when the mourners took a shortcut to get to Adelaide Road). Someone has picked all the daisies. And Nick’s special toy rabbit lies where he left it the previous night – at Fred’s grave.  

But for a moment, Simmonds casts a shadow of a doubt. The heap of magnificent flowers laid by Fred’s fans at his graveside have mysteriously disappeared. Was it all a dream, after all? Fortunately, Simmonds delights in giving her young readers exactly what they want. Marking Fred’s final resting place under the buddleia bush is a fancy new headstone. It simply reads FAMOUS FRED.

And in the background, a passing cat grins from the top of their garden wall.

   On the surface, the story of Fred – the death of a cat – may sound depressing.

Its origins are sad, evolving as it did from a sketch Simmonds made after attending the funeral of a friend. (“Afterwards I drew cats crying as undertakers.”) Yet it is an utterly enchanting and affirming ‘meditation on loss and the importance of sharing memories.’ [LoveReading4Kids]

As with Simmonds’ other picture books (particularly Baker Cat and Lavender), Fred was a favourite to read with my boys, especially if I wanted a more extended snuggle! The brilliant thing about them is that they withstand repeated reading. (I think that’s partly due to the humorous visual asides that Simmonds adds to the story, drawing kids further into the fantasy. In Fred, such details include kittens picking their noses, cats in bin bags, a ghetto blaster playing Famous Fred and the Heavy Saucers and mice sporting leather jackets and shades. ) 

The more a story is shared, the more it becomes embedded in your family’s memories. So, when Levi (now aged sixteen) saw Fred on my desk earlier this week, he lit up: “Oh! I remember reading that with you. I loved Fred!” That’s the power – and joy – of sharing quality picture books with your kids. Yes, they help develop reading and literacy skills. More significantly, they build empathy for others. But they also forge magical connections between the child, their childhood and you. And that’s definitely something worth sharing!

 Tips for sharing Fred

Use it to prompt sharing memories of dearly departed pets – and relatives.

Don’t race over wordless sections. Pause (and point) at each panel. Give your child a moment to absorb the action themselves (or add your own commentary). The will pace naturally slow – which is great for winding down at bedtime!

Have fun imagining the secret double life of cats and dogs that you know!

STORIES WORTH SHARINGFred by Posy Simmonds(Random House, 1987)Good to Read for:a cosy, lengthier bedtime storysupporting kids over the loss of a loved petdeveloping visual literacyCopyright © 1987 by Posy SimmondsFrom FRED by Posy Simmonds(Red Fox)GOOD TO READPicture books with a comic book vibe

Clown by Quentin Blake

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean

Queenie the Bantam by Bob Graham

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

Lavender by Posy Simmonds

Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds

Chalk & Cheese by Tim Warnes

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 “Our 6 year old and 3 year old loved it… They were a bit disappointed we hadn’t had a bigger funeral for the cat, though.”– Amazon customer review“Fred is pure delight.”– The Guardian  buy uk BUY US * I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFFRELATED ARTICLESSOURCESFred by Posy Simmonds (Jonathan Cape Ltd, 1987)The Illustrators: Posy Simmonds by Paul Gravett (Thames & Hudson, 2019 Fred Review (Lovereading4kids)© 2022 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.