The Lying King

Gr 1–3—Warthog is a liar. His boasts and lies start small and grow as he gets older. Warthog gets so good at telling lies that when it is time to choose a king, he lies his way to the crown. As king, he lies, cheats, distracts, steals, and is unjust. The other animals find it hard to stand up to his bullying. In time, the king gets so tied up in lies that his subjects finally rise up against him. Warthog, the lying pig, is banished. Consistent with the author's other watering hole picture books, stylized pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are mainly of animals from continental Africa. White space and text take up most of the pages, with very little room for the illustrations. In conjunction with the conversational text, the narration is cleverly crafted with flowing rhymes and sometimes humorous quips. This combination works well, if somewhat too long for a lapsit book. While children may find a lesson in virtue in Warthog's tale, the book will resonate more with an adult audience and is steeped in allusions to the current political climate.