Baaa

Borrowing from themes of George Orwell's Animal Farm in 1943 and the 1973 movie Soylent Green, David Macaulay's children's book Baaa draws parallels to these stories with demonstrations of matters of overpopulation, resource depletion, social hierarchies, and consumption by depicting sheep evolving to a point of self destruction. The post-apocalyptic storytelling evident in Baaa is reminiscent of Macaulay's earlier work titled "Motel of the Mysteries" in which twentieth century civilization as we know it has ceased to exist. The combination of intellectually savvy text with rich pen and ink drawings complement his analysis of societal ills while supporting a solid body of work. Coincidentally, Baaa takes up where Motel of Mysteries left off as evident in the first passage of Mysteries. "In 1985 a cataclysmic coincidence of previously unknown proportion extinguished virtually all forms of life on the North American continent." The first line of Baaa reads "There is no record of when the last person disappeared." Perhaps as a continuation of his apocalypse, Macaulay populates his world with zealous sheep that end up emulating the horrors of human society. The conflicts and deterioration examined in Baaa, while not exactly uplifting, do impose a critical analysis of our social environment and collective behaviours. Macaulay is persistent with cautionary tales of potential futures in stories which should appeal to readers of all ages. The illustrations are smart yet playful and the text is very thought provoking. Baaa accomplishes Macaulay's social criticism with great ease proving that this book is a success.

The best thing about this book is that the author never explicitly explains what happened. I read it aloud to my 5th grade class as a prelude to a lesson on making inferences, and the students found it absorbing and challenging. Don't assume that it's for young children because it's a picture book: the story is really too dark and the themes too complex for most children under ten. Teachers could incorporate this book into language arts or social studies instruction for students from the 5th to the 12th grade. Don't miss out- read it!

A friend handed this book to me, and I was enthralled from the time I read the title, simply embossed on a black background. I couldn't stop myself, and this little marvel sent me reeling with its fanciful telling of a theme that was immediately familiar. This book should be read like a Suess book-- with eyes full of childlike wonder! Be aware of the allegory, but appreciate the fairy tale per se. And if you ask me, this telling is much more effective than the last incarnation I saw. Sheep are much more pleasing than Charlton Heston.

While this zen-gray book is presented as a children's fable, it is clearly intended for adults as a parable on over-population. The human race has vanished, and sheep take over from where we left off. But with the newly reclaimed technology comes a sharp rise in the birthrate, and cities become crowded and violent. Food becomes more and more scarce. Finally, a new foodstuff called "BAAA" becomes available. As the public develops a taste for it, the population begins to decline...sharply. Think of it as "Soylent Green" with training wheels.

Baaa is probably the most twisted picture book I have read in quite a long time. Beware, unsuspecting reader! It will be a while before the startling images in this book fade from your mind. There is a point--and everyone who has read it knows exactly what point that is--when you will just step back and stare at the book with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. Baaa continues Macaulay's unique brand of picture book writing, by existing on two levels: the surface level of a slightly revolting but thoroughly enjoyable children's story, and the deeper level, filled with implications about our society and an ominous foreboding about the future. Macaulay's images are more vivid than any Parson Malthus clone, and more startling than any table of statistics. Baaa gets my resounding reccomendation.