By Pépé Smit (author) , Pépé Smit (illustrator)
"A droll bit of picture book metafiction with appeal for readers of all ages."
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
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May 2026 Debut of the Month
This quirky, idiosyncratic picture book with its very demanding central character will have huge appeal for young children and the adults sharing it with them.
Fred the deer knows exactly what he wants and is not afraid to tell the author of this book what that is: he has criticism/advice on the way he’s represented in the illustrations and then takes over the direction of the story completely, trotting off into the city, deciding he needs shoes, choosing some cool trainers, then demanding the author give him hands. He decides he’ll go back to the forest at the end, but the hands – they’re staying!
Little children will identify completely with Fred and his demands and find lots to laugh at as he stamps his hooves to get what he wants. Adults will find much to entertain them too on repeated readings of this droll bit of picture book metafiction.
One to recommend to fans of Wolves by Emily Gravett, Mac Barnett and Viviane Schwarz's There are Cats in this Book .
In this unique and hilarious picture book, Fred the Deer throws a series of tantrums with his illustrator, and ends up getting most of what he wants!
Read the full description
Fred the deer loves living in the forest. Or does he? No, he says he does not! He is bored, and wants to visit the town! Once there, he sees everyone else has shoes – so why can’t he have shoes? Everyone else seems to be eating chips, but he needs hands to eat chips… really, Fred? Read on to see if Pépé will give in and give him hands, and how the story will end up!
‘From beginning to end, it exudes timelessness’ - Cobra.be
‘Fred’s adventures are unpredictable and disruptively different’ - Annemarie Terhell, Trouw
Pépé Smit was trained as a visual artist at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Institute. Her illustrations have appeared in several leading magazines and newspapers, but she has increasingly focused on creating picture books that make young children both laugh and think. Her first, Fred the (Very Demanding) Deer , has become a much-reprinted title and marked the beginning of a successful series.
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In this unique and hilarious picture book, Fred the Deer throws a series of tantrums with his illustrator, and ends up getting most of what he wants! Fred the deer loves living in the forest.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Fred the (very demanding) Deer and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
Fred the (very demanding) Deer features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Funny, Animal Stories, Art and Design, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Educational: Arts, general, Educational material, Picture storybooks, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts
Hardback. £11.69, down from the £12.99 cover price. In Stock.
Fred the (very demanding) Deer was written by Pépé Smit and published by Scallywag Press
Fred the (very demanding) Deer has 36 pages
£11.69, reduced from £12.99. In Stock.
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