Oliver Jeffers is no stranger to creating some of the best children’s books EVER. Here and Now, Lost and Found, The heart and the bottle and Stuck are just to name a few. His new release, The Fate Of Fausto is another masterpiece that is sure to awaken hearts and open eyes to the harsh reality that is LIFE.
The book features a man named Fausto, who believed everything in the world belonged to him, so he set out to take it all. He conquered a flower, a sheep, a forest and a lake until he came upon a mountain that was not moved by his pompous behavior. Fausto stamped his foot and ranted to the mountain until it finally succumbed.
Feeling satisfied he conquered something as grand as a mountain, he set out on a boat to conquer the big blue sea. Fausto was no match for the sea because he did not know or understand it.
Fausto thought that stamping and ranting at the sea would relinquish its power to him like the others, but that would prove to be problematic since he could neither swim nor walk on water.
The fate of Fausto is a modern-day fable. The moral of the story is, no matter how grand you think you are, there is always something grander.
Mankind has tried for centuries to understand nature and expect her to succumb to our rash behaviors. Everything Fausto claimed, reverted to living their lives, not caring if he existed or not.
He went on to acquire and conquer greater things, each grander than the next. From the flower to sheep to the forest to the lake, but no matter how many riches and wealth he accumulated, it meant nothing if he didn’t understand it well enough to enjoy it.
The sea can be a magical place, but Fausto never took the time to learn or understand the sea to know that his fate was doomed…prime example of the pride going before the fall.
The fate of Fausto is definitely an eye-opener to what’s going on in the world today. It is a guaranteed must-have for every single home and for any age. Though geared towards older children, it’s also one that can teach children to value what nature has to offer.
The lithographic illustrations are so vivid and modern yet rustic and calming and the transitions through each page are flawless. There are some pages that don’t have illustrations, but they further increase the suspense and thrill of what the reader might encounter at the end.
This modern fable can be interpreted in so many ways, but I think Jeffers’ main objective was to bring awareness to the fact that if we took the time to know and understand nature itself, we would value it so much more. This, in turn, can make the world a better place.
