Publisher's Description of The Lying King:Can warthogs fly? Do tigers eat broccoli?For answers, follow along as Warthog lies his way to the throne in this timeless, yet most timely, Tale from the Watering Hole.
Will the Truth catch up with the king?
Find out as Alex Beard’s whimsical animals come to life to illuminate real world truths for children of all ages. With a nod to Aesop and Kipling, this funny and pointed parable has lessons for everyone, from the playground to the boardroom and beyond!
My Review:
Politics and children's books, not two things that I would expect to go together. Yet Alex Beard, in The Lying King, weaves a story of a warthog that rises to power through a series lies and the (supposed) inevitable outcome of such actions.
While this tales is definitely a nod to Aesop and/or Kipling in its style, I found it a bit disturbing. While I can't lay my finger on what exactly unnerves me about the story, I can say that the plot seems to be written more for adults than children. While the illustrations are engaging and the rhyming prose keeps us turning the pages, the story just feels off to me.
I will say that Beard's tale is a cautionary tale of choosing to look the other way when faced with overt lies. Children may be able to glean the notion that lying is bad from this fable, but in the end, it isn't one I would put on our bookshelf.
