The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable

Thematically reminiscent of Gerald McDermott's "The Stonecutter" (1975), this story may suggest political parallels to adults, while kids are more likely to read this as the dangers of greed. Appended with a quote from Kurt Vonnegut citing the value of having enough, this is a parable sure to spark lively discussions.

Whether aimed at certain public figures or all of us, a pointed suggestion that tantrums bring but temporary, superficial rewards. 

Fausto, a balding tyrant in a three-piece suit, wants it all. "You are mine," he tells a flower. He declares ownership of a sheep, a tree, a field, a forest, and a lake. A mountain gives him some trouble, but when Fausto "put up such a fight you would not believe"--Jeffers (Here We Are) represents it with vicious scribbles above his head--the mountain eventually concedes. Now Fausto resolves to possess the sea and, outfitted in a yellow slicker, sets out in a boat. "Sea, you are mine," he declares. To demonstrate his "anger and importance" after the sea resists, Fausto steps from the boat to stamp his foot on its surface--allowing nature a serene return to its original, unowned state. In Jeffers's first book featuring lithography, a medium that reproduces the energy of his lines with startling vividness, dashes of violent pink, acid yellow, and Prussian blue punctuate expanses of white space. Boldly conceived and gracefully executed, Jeffers's dark fable imagines what happens when desire leads to selfishness and self-destruction, and shows the merits of calm refusal in the face of dangerous individuals. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Gr 2-5--In Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, the titular prince on an intergalactic journey meets a businessman who believes that he owns everything he sees. The prince is offended by the businessman's callous greed, and readers may find themselves feeling similar indignation toward Fausto in Jeffers's beautiful and sharply evocative "painted fable." Fausto, whose name will remind older readers of another avaricious literary figure, is a demanding, mustachioed man who stomps around and claims ownership of a flower, a tree, a mountain, etc. The objects he claims are left withered and lifeless in Fausto's selfishly destructive wake: the flower is plucked, the leaves fall from the tree, even the mountain stoops in sorrow. Jeffers's painted backgrounds use a blue or brown palette to evoke the mood of a world left drained and joyless. Hot pink flowers and Fausto's ironically cheerful neon yellow rain slicker draw the eye from the monochromatic backgrounds. Fausto continues in his blustery manner until his blind greed leads to his literal consumption. Some readers may be shocked by the blunt honestly of the fable's finale, but totalitarian greed is an issue that must be firmly addressed. VERDICT Only Jeffers knows if this 2019 fable is about Trumpian terrors, the horror of late-stage capitalism, or simply a cautionary tale against greed that is as old as storytelling itself. Regardless of its intentions, this minimalistic masterpiece is a must-read for all ages.--Chance Lee Joyner, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, NH