Davies crafts contemporary fables reminiscent of classic Aesop in this creative reimagining. In "The Peacock and the Lion", a male peacock and male lion meet “under the shade of a lofty limba" tree to regale each other with tales of their masculine prowess, only to learn a valuable lesson about humility after their wives point their own role in ensuring each family’s survival, while “The Angling Otter” finds a lazy otter learning the devastating effects of pollution caused by his own carelessness. Throughout this debut, Davies addresses racism, classism, and deforestation, among other topics, through vivid imagery, engaging prose, and entertaining lyrical alliteration.

In traditional Aesop form, Davies animates her featured animals, endowing them with very humanlike emotions and problems, and offers a moral at the end of each story—themes that are both “current and controversial,” in Davies’s words. From a productive goat who becomes lazy and unfocused after he’s gifted a mobile phone to a moth who hates his own reflection, Davies tackles issues that young readers will immediately relate to. In “The Owl and His Dilemma,” a rollercoaster loving owl learns to deal with bullying over his dinner choices, after a gaggle of geese tease him for enjoying a “fieldmouse burger.” That incident prompts him to explore the culinary choices of other birds, inciting his epiphany that “we should just eat what tastes good to us and not mock anyone if their dinner is different to ours,” a message that Davies ties into accepting others and avoiding judgment.

Each fable begins with a colorful, hand-sketched illustration hinting at what readers can expect from the tale, and younger readers will enjoy Davies's outlandish characters, humorous situations, and figurative language (just as adult readers will appreciate the opportunities scattered throughout to learn new, unfamiliar words, such as “pulchritudinous” and “avaricious”). This is a lighthearted tribute to Aesop’s brilliance.

Takeaway: Lighthearted reimagining of Aesop’s fables, for today's youth.

Comparable Titles: Vivian C. Olsen’s The Good, The Bad, and the Goofy, Mike Bennett’s Aesop’s Fables Reimagined.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: B
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B+