Filbert, the Good Little Fiend

by Hiawyn Oram, Jimmy Liao (Illustrator)

Overview

A little fiend who’s too good for his own good befriends an angel who is too naughty—and together they concoct a clever plan.

Daddy and Mommy Fiend want their little Filbert to be gruesome and ghastly, but he won’t trample or terrify, roar or holler. He’d much rather help an old lady with her bags or go bird-watching. What are they to do with him? When Filbert starts school, he quickly learns that good behavior isn’t tolerated in class, and he is banished outside until he can act like a proper little fiend. Suddenly a little angel appears, flying fast and furious until...bump! Could this naughty Angel-School dropout be just the friend Filbert needs? Could they find a way together to make everyone accept them as they are?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763658700
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	07/09/2013
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Hiawyn Oram has been writing children’s books for more than twenty years and is the author of more than sixty titles. A recipient of the Japanese Picture Book Award and the Prix du Livre Culturel, Hiawyn Oram lives in London.

Jimmy Liao is a best-selling, award-winning author-illustrator whose books with Candlewick include The World Champion of Staying Awake by Sean Taylor and The Monster Who Ate Darkness by Joyce Dunbar. Jimmy Liao lives in Taiwan.

Editorial Reviews

Liao ably paints the contrasting settings in watercolor and gouache and lends further charm to Oram’s appealing characters.
—Kirkus Reviews

The text reads aloud smoothly... and the saturated hues are eye-catching. ... Amusing.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

An adorable little fiend that looks a bit like a Wild Thing is--disappointingly--anything but. Mommy and Daddy Fiend have great expectations for their little one. They want him to be fierce, ferocious, "gruesome and ghastly," just like them. But Filbert has a different nature. Instead, he is helpful, prefers nice stories and dreams about flowers. His parents send him off for the first day of school decked out in "his fiery red coat, horrifying horns, and monstrous mittens" and the hope that he will "be a proper little fiend." But quiet Filbert refuses to participate in the monstrous activities and is banished to "the grassy Good Spot" (which might as well be a cork tree). Filbert's happy reverie is interrupted when a little angel crash-lands. They soon discover their similar predicaments: Florinda is a not-very-good angel who has been banished from Angel School. They hatch a plan to exchange clothes, go back to their respective schools and really freak out their peers, ultimately leading to their respective acceptances. Liao ably paints the contrasting settings in watercolor and gouache and lends further charm to Oram's appealing characters. For fans of Ferdinand and anyone who wants to share the message of celebrating or at least respecting differences. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews