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★★★★★ 1
The talking animal book that talks down to you
Format: Hardcover
You hear the snap of Tom King high-fiving himself for his own genius as he turns a cat and dog into philosopher-poets in the first few pages. The story never comes out of its self-congratulatory spell as we’re supposed to buy this as the heir to Animal Farm.
SPOILERS
The animals take over the town/county pound, chasing the workers away before anymore animals can be euthanized. And guess what? The workers never come back. Nobody comes back. But they keep the lights, and electric on. ‘Let the animals keep it’ were left to assume the county trustees said.
It might work as a fable if King didn’t ground it so much in the real world. The animals learn how to use the webcam, capture online donations, and use those donations to buy food. Want to see a world where animals who could leave the pound at any time struggle for self-governance? Good. Want to see a dog typing on a computer keyboard? Good.
So what’s the real agenda? Well, ideologies, don’t worry. The story has a Trump analog - a bulldog. And the dumb dogs (Republicans) love this bulldog, and the wise cats (Democrats) hate this bulldog, and the rabbits (Latinos, I think), don’t know what to do. Some rabbits like the bulldog, even though he’s working against their self-interest (how Dems portray the pro-Trump Hispanic vote).
‘It’s a fable’, those who love the book will shout again. I see thee nay. You can’t have your webcam and fable too.
Really well drawn, though.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2025
