Freddie has always dreamt of being in a band, but a terrible event from his childhood is holding him back. Will Freddie let the past shape his future? Or will he be brave enough to achieve his impossible dream? Open the book to share and support Freddie on his incredible journey.
Freddie's Impossible Dream by Nigel and Robbie Lungemuss-Ward is a debut picture book and it is charming. It tells the story of Freddie, who loves music but sadly gets knocked back when he wants to join the school choir. This knocks his confidence and stops him continuing to pursue his dream of singing. The story takes an optimistic turn when years later, grown up Freddie, decides to be brave again and puts himself forward to try and be a singer in a band.
I love the positive message in this story. It tells the reader to be resilient and not to give up on your dreams. There is a point in the story when it says 'he thought about all of the people in the world that didn't follow their dreams, and decided he wouldn't be one of those people and would try his best!" Which reminds the reader that you need to be brave and persistent if you want to achieve your dreams. How many people give up on what they hope to achieve when things get hard or people tell them they can't do it? Freddie shows determination and bravery in this story-great traits to have if you want to achieve your dreams.
The charm in this story for me is in the back story. This is a lovely, positive story perfect for reminding children not to give up and believe in themselves but it's the motivation behind the story (which is in the afterward) that wowed me. Nigel Lungemuss-Ward wrote this book to inspire his son Robbie. The illustrations are by Robbie, who was only 8 when he made them; he loves drawing and has a promising future in illustration and animation if that is what he wants to achieve. His dad wanted to show him (and others) that anything is possible if you dream big and believe in yourself and he has certainly done that as now Robbie is a published illustrator at only 9 years old.
The positive message in this story as well as the inspirational back story means it could appeal to a lot of children. I can imagine a lot of children identifying with Freddie and his pursuit to achieve his dreams and also being inspired by Robbie, a child like them who has achieved his dream.
If you are interested in buying the book it can be ordered now from Miss Wright Publishing.