| It has become obvious to all but the most | | | | cerebral charms, you may be tempted to |
| unrelentingly stubborn apologists for the oil | | | | consume the whole thing while in the middle |
| industry that we now stand at a pivotal | | | | of a crowded book store. Try to avoid this |
| moment in the history of our planet. As much | | | | temptation, as you will find Fables to be a |
| fun as it would be to make fun of Al Gore's | | | | veritable banquet of philosophical |
| pretentious drawl and expanding bald spot, | | | | speculation and belly laughs. How in God's |
| none of us can afford to ignore his clarion | | | | name, you may be wondering, can one book |
| call for global change. With humankind's | | | | offer such seemingly incongruous rewards? The |
| carbon footprint leaving a catastrophic | | | | answer to that question is the secret of |
| impact upon Mother Earth, it is the sacred | | | | Quisling's triumph. He has crafted three |
| responsibility of every citizen to make a | | | | distinct but thematically connected |
| change for the better. We can all agree on | | | | tales,focusing on some of the Earth's least |
| that much, but the next question is a lot | | | | respected inhabitants: a clam, an ant, and an |
| thornier: How exactly do you start? As in so | | | | earthworm. Against all expectation, Quisling |
| many vital areas of life, when confronted by | | | | turns these lowly invertebrates into heroes |
| a monumental task it is beneficial to start | | | | of truly epic scale. By infusing so much |
| with something small. In other words, begin | | | | ambiguous life and recognizably human foibles |
| by taking a "micro" view of your "macro" | | | | into its three-pack of protagonists, Fables |
| problem. Numerous studies have indicated that | | | | allows readers to understand these creatures |
| the more we are taught to respect and even | | | | as reflections of ourselves. Laughable as the |
| love the tiniest creatures, the deeper | | | | clam's frustration with the emptiness of his |
| connection we will feel to the planet at | | | | existence might seem, is our own periodic |
| large. So if you're looking to address | | | | despair any less ridiculous? It all comes |
| climate change in your own way, you might | | | | down to a matter of perspective, which seems |
| want to start by picking up a copy of Fables | | | | to be one of Quisling's primary lessons. |
| From the Mud by Erik Quisling. This book, | | | | After reading this timeless book, you may |
| simple in structure yet profound in | | | | find yourself thinking twice before stepping |
| implication, illuminates the plight of | | | | on the next ant you see crossing the |
| Earth's smallest inhabitants in a style that | | | | sidewalk. He's a guest on this ailing planet, |
| will make you laugh even as your empathy | | | | just like you. And for all you know, he might |
| expands. The first thing you are apt to | | | | be in the middle of an heroic struggle worthy |
| notice about Fables is the fluid interchange | | | | of mention in a book Fables From the Mud. |
| between illustrations and text. This book has | | | | |
| been designed with such a graceful simplicity | | | | Erik Quisling is the author of the critically |
| that you could easily read it cover to cover | | | | acclaimed new book, Fables from the Mud |
| in a single sitting. Indeed, once you've | | | | (Borderlands Press, Nov. 2007). |
| gotten a sense of its sharp humor and | | | | |