Wednesday, 27 November 2019

The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable


The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable by Oliver Jeffers (Harper Collins) RRP HB $24.99
ISBN 9780008357917

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

The Fate of Fausto is a fable about a pompous man named Fausto who believed he owned everything. Fausto roams a sparse land claiming everything he comes into contact with, stating “You are mine.” A (personified) flower, sheep and tree are each submissive to his commands. Never satisfied, he continues his quest to obtain more and more. As he tries to claim larger and larger things across the land, including a lake and a mountain, they start to show some resistance. However, they eventually become compliant to Fausto’s demands when he becomes persistent and angry.

Full of his own self-importance and selfishness Fausto continues on. Using bravado and lies, he then tries to claim the sea. Eventually, his reign comes to an end when his arrogance and ignorance cause his demise.

The Fate of Fausto is a picture book that exposes a moral lesson. The unique illustrations, using a limited colour palette, were created using a manual lithography press. The book has triple the number of pages of a traditional picture book, large text and a lot of white space. The Fate of Fausto is highly recommended for children aged 5+ years.




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