The Grumpy Little King

Michael Streich (author/illustrator)

Allen & Unwin, Australia: October 2011

ISBN: 9781742375724

Genres: allegory, picture book

Issues: ethics, greed, war

The grumpy little king is tired of being a small king of a tiny nation so he decides to go to war. Battle will bring glory, honour and fame, he is advised.

His general appoints an enemy nation and the men of the little king's population are provided with uniforms and weapons and instructed to give up their peacetime careers to become soldiers. At first everybody is inspired by the 'glorious ideals' but soon the army begins to ask itself: where is their king?

Michael Streich is an experienced cartoonist and illustrator and his apparently simple comic-strip style images in fact project quite powerfully the warped ethics and hypocritical nature of the little king. Allegory is a difficult genre to achieve without sounding contrived but Streich manages it by using simple language, although there are times when the narrative becomes somewhat pedestrian and could benefit from a slightly more lyrical line of prose. Although the superficially straightforward narrative makes The Grumpy Little King understandable by beginner readers, the subtext and allegorical nature of the story means that it will be better appreciated by 8-12 year olds.

Gifted readers will appreciate the strong anti-war theme and the ethical questions raised. Perhaps our own leaders would be less willing to risk the lives of those in the military if they had to serve on the front line themselves. Thought-provoking and a discussion-starter, The Grumpy Little King could be used with almost any age group concerned with the nature of war, politics and ethical decision making.