First published by Alfred A. Knopf between 1927 and 1958, the 26 Freddy the Pig books, written by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese, are humorous stories of the many adventures of the Bean Farm animals. Freddy, the leader of the band, is a pig of wide-ranging talents and interests. He is a poet, a detective, a pilot, a cowboy, a banker, a newspaper editor, and first and foremost, a friend. Freddy and twelve other animals travel to Florida in the first book, shaking the hand of the President when they pass through Washington, D.C. Over the years, the animals learn to read, develop friendships with a wide range of human characters even more eccentric than the animals, engage in space travel, sports, and ballooning, stop an animal revolution, and provide countless moments of fun and laughter for the reader.