Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books

Abstract

This is a lavish large edition of some of Tomi Ungerer's best work. Even the box and the cover are pretty! I have to admit right away that I believe I was deceived by someone's description of this book as "8 Fables by Tomi Ungerer." Now I cannot find that description. While he himself describes his stories as "fables," they are, I believe, longer stories that teach things as fables teach things. I read the first two stories and enjoyed them thoroughly. "The Three Robbers" suggests, in Ungerer's own words before the story "Evil can be the most fertile ground for good, and good can learn from the cleverness of evil." Finding little Tiffany and stealing her convert the robbers' energy into all sorts of good enterprises involved in her care. Similarly, "Zeralda's Ogre" shows how "The stomach knows how to feed the heart." Instead of eating Zeralda, the ogre loves eating what she cooks! Soon enough, local ogres and ogresses are feasting sumptuously on her recipes and have "all lost their taste for children." The visual artistry is wonderfully engaging.