The Sweetest Fig

This is a cleverly random story. It starts out with a dentist, void of sympathy, who receives special figs from a customer. He realizes the figs make dreams come true, so he tries to force himself to dream about being the richest man in the world. Although the story is short, Van Allsburg manages to pack a lot of lessons and humor into the book. The images bring his dreams to life, and readers will be pleased when those he has harmed (i.e., his dog, particularly) get their revenge. The author uses dialogue perfectly in the final page to close the story and let readers know that it is now the dog whose dreams have come true.

I LOVE Chris Van Allsburg. His illustrations and stories are some of the most surreal I've experienced. His books always make me think. He creates a little bubble of a world that invites everyone to crawl inside and look around.

* Favorite scene in the book : Bibot, standing in his underwear and watching the Eiffel tower turn to rubber and fall over.

I hate to be small and judgemental about this, but Bibot kind of got what he had coming, and I was a little happy with the result. This is kind a dog lover's dream. An abusive pet owner becomes the pet. I wonder what the pet will do. Abuse his old owner? Treat him well and be the bigger man, so to speak? Give him away and start fresh? Tough decision for the former dog.

This book is about heartless man named Bibot who comes into possession of two magic figs from an elderly patient he was cruel to. He was angered by her payment until he realized the figs were actually real and that they could make his dreams come true if eaten. He instantly tries to dream of wealth, but not everything goes according to plan and he gets a taste of revenge. I really enjoyed this book because I have always liked when mean people get what they deserve. I loved the eerie undertones, and the fantastic illustrations. Everything really came to life for me in this book.

This is great stuff...typical Chris Van Allsburg, filled with wonderful illustrations, sometimes surreal imagery, lots of subtle humour and something important for us to think about. The story shows what happens when one thoughtless, self-involved dentist experiences the "what goes around, comes around" syndrome. The last page causes that pleasurable sensation of the mental pause in the dark before the light-bulb pops on.

The Sweetest Fig is about a mean and selfish dentist named Bibot who receives two "magic figs" from a patient of his. Although he was angry the patient did not pay in money, he soon realized that eating one of the figs caused his dream from the night before to come true. Long story short, the story ends with Bibot's dog (who is treated poorly by Bibot) eating the fig and Bibot and his dog switching bodies! I really enjoyed this read not only for the story but also the illustrations. They were not popping colors but it helps creates the theme of the book which is kind of dark and mysterious. Excited to do my author/illustrator study on Van Allsburg

Originally written in English and set in France. this fabulous quirky tale is well-translated to Spanish by Francisco Segovia and published with all its striking original illustrations. I use it for classes in both Spanish and translation, but I also leaf through it for sheer visual pleasure.