Young Franklin Stein is tired of feeling lonely, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and build a friend from scratch. Using an odd collection of leftover odds and ends, he pieces together a highly unusual, towering creature that he names Fred. To Franklin, Fred is an absolute masterpiece and the perfect companion. The neighbors, however, do not feel the same way. When they look at Fred, they scream and call the gentle giant terrible names, terrified by his bizarre appearance. But Franklin refuses to give up on his handmade best friend. He bravely enters Fred into the local pet show, determined to prove that true friendship comes in all shapes and sizes. This funny, heartwarming story teaches a wonderful lesson about acceptance, showing that you should never judge a creature by its cover.