A toe-tapping tale about art, courage, and finding your place in the world.
Based on Leo Lionni’s beloved Caldecott Honor book, Frederick is a heartwarming musical that celebrates the power of imagination and the beauty of being yourself.
While the other field mice are busy gathering seeds and grain for the winter, Frederick quietly collects something different—sunlight, colors, and words. When the cold season arrives and the food runs low, it’s Frederick’s stories and poems that feed the spirit of the community, reminding everyone that there’s more than one way to be useful, and more than one kind of gift worth sharing.
This joyful, music-filled tale invites audiences of all ages to embrace their unique gifts and find their place in the sun.
MEET THE AUTHORS
From the 1930s through the 1990s, Leo Lionni built a celebrated career as an artist, designer, and children’s book author. Born in Italy, he first gained recognition as a Futurist and avant-garde painter before moving to the U.S. in 1939, where he became a leading figure in advertising, collaborating with artists like Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, and Willem de Kooning. As art director for Fortune (1948–1960) and design director for Olivetti, he shaped some of the era’s most iconic visual work.
In 1960, Lionni returned to Italy and began creating beloved children’s books, authoring and illustrating over 40 titles, including four Caldecott Honor winners—Inch by Inch, Swimmy, Frederick, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. A recipient of the AIGA Gold Medal and numerous international awards, Lionni also taught at institutions around the world and exhibited his art internationally. He continued to paint, sculpt, and photograph until his death in 1999.
