Fred's Beds: A Picture Book

by Barbara Samuels

Fred can sleep anywhere. He has beds all over the house! When his favorite human, Zelda, throws a birthday party, Fred has other things on his mind. How many places can he curl up and fall asleep in, on, and around? Inside a crinkly shopping bag, on a slightly soggy bath towel, and maybe even around piles of old newspapers. But when Fred gets in trouble with Zelda, he must find a way to get back on her good side—and save her birthday party.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Pets, Childrens, Storytime, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Melissa Rochelle]

It's cute. The dog likes to sleep and can sleep anywhere. Yay dog.

[Rena Sherwood]

Fred the Beagle was based on a Beagle named Samny, dog of the person this book is dedicated to (the author's friend.) Although the author describes herself as a cat person, she does an excellent job illustrating many breeds of dogs for this book. The other breeds of dog (and types of dog beds) are featured on the end papers, not the text.

Only, Fred is not entirely realistic. He has no genitals, not even a sheath.

Fred's girl Zelda and her mother are planning Zelda's birthday party. What could possibly go wrong? Let's put it this way -- one girl is shown physically attacking a shocked boy.

Too much sugar in that cake?

Anyway, this was one of those books really written for adults rather than kids. There are a lot of subtle jokes, such as Fred sleeping on a newspaper with the headline "ECONOMY SLUGGISH."

[Pam]

Colorful illustrations go along with this story about dog exploring all sorts of places to sleep. He finally finds the best bed of all.
Young readers will enjoy the adventure but it was a little flat for me.

[Karla]

Cute, quick read. Author addresses various beds the dog likes to sleep in, closing with the best bed of course. The text could be larger, although it is varied. Illustrations are colorful and engaging.
It's worth reading, although it's not a classic I'd read over and over again. Once is enough.

[Anthony]

Fred the Beagle, who is Zelda's pet, can make a bed for sleeping out of anything, and sleep anywhere. But when his ability to do that lands him in trouble with Zelda during her birthday party, Fred must find a way to get back in Zelda's good graces.

[Irene]

Funny and beautifully illustrated.

[Heather]

I’m going to do something I’ve never done before — and hope it doesn’t prove to be a bad idea. Before posting my own review, I stumbled upon others’ reviews. I was surprised to see its very low rating on Goodreads (an average of 2.75 stars!), and that drew my eyes to briefly look at the reviews. (Normally I ignore other reviews until well after I post my own review.) Most of them are 3-star reviews, saying it’s cute. Apparently, I’m in the minority here, as I really loved the book — but I’m OK with minority status.

[Martha]

Fred the Beagle enjoys a stress free life with owner Zelda, napping wherever he likes. In this cheerful pet story Fred's free spirit finally gets him in trouble with a tasty looking birthday cake. This simple cheerful story will delight young readers with it's colorful exuberant pen and ink illustrations, and universal story of the weakness of pets when tasty treats are within a nose length.

[Mary]

This is a cutesy story about a dog who sleeps pretty much anywhere and often finds himself in trouble. There are occasional puns for the grownups who are reading it, and I'm sure a little girl with a dog she loves will enjoy reading this story.

[Erin]

Fred is a dog who can sleep anywhere--on a doormat, a pile of old newspapers, in a flower bed... At the end he gets a new bed of his own, but prefers sleeping with his owner. It's a mildly entertaining story that I might use for toddler or preschool storytimes, but I doubt it.

[Heather]

I thought the idea of describing the different ways that the dog sleeps was clever, but I did not really get the setting of the book. The little The little girl's party didn't seem to match the purpose of the book.

[Bethe]

Dog parents will identify with all the different places that Fred tries to catch some shut eye. An endearing memory of Brownie in the clean clothes basket right next to the warm dryer is a favorite one for me, glad to see Fred there! And of course - the best bed snuggled up with his person!

[Nanci Booher]

It was on display so I picked it up...how could you not love the illustration of Fred on the front. I found the actual font not easy for my eyes, the story to be a little blah but what I did find entertaining was Fred, sleeping just about anywhere

[Peacegal]

Cute book about a dog who loves to nap--anywhere!

Veg*n parents alert: Fred dreams of eating pork chops with his owner in a fancy restaurant.

[Barbara]

Dog lovers ages 5-95 will enjoy Fred's antics in this book. Anyone who had lived with a dog will understand the predicaments and silly situations Fred enjoys at the expense of his owner.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower]

I love this! It's so cute and very funny. Read only if you want to be reminded of your dog(s) and have an immediate urge to go snuggle them!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin]

An adorable dog's misbehavior makes such an enjoyable story for readers of all ages.