The Color of the Wind: Fables for All Ages

Zany humor and deep insight highlight these fables from the animal kingdom. MeetScribbles the frog, a thoughtful and adventurous character in search of meaning; Long Tail the lizard and his efforts at self-importance; Pipsqueek, the rebel gerbil who plans a daring escape from a pet shop; and strange creatures known as hairless monkeys who terrorize their fellow beings and seek to dominate Mother Nature.Author Theodore J. Nottingham offers readers of all ages a joyride through fantasies that are guaranteed to bring laughter and reflection on our relationship to Earth and to her children, and which also mirror the foibles we all share. Featuring striking original watercolors by artist Susan Moore, this collection of contemporary fables, with its blend of amusement and wisdom, is a delight for the young and the young at heart.

Scribbles the Frog had been an unusual tadpole. At a very early age it became clear that he was not destined to grow into your ordinary, garden variety frog. His parents often complained to their neighbors over the fact that their child did strange things, such as going off to a quiet corner of the swamp and spending days deep in thought and contemplation of his surroundings. To the world of frog beings, this was simply useless dreaming. There were flies to be caught and eggs to be cared for and a litany of other practical frog chores to be carried out. Quiet reflection on the purpose of the universe was just not an acceptable way to spend one's time.

One fine summer day, Scribbles decided that the pond in which he had been born was too small for him. To his mother's great sorrow, he packed up his lillypad and headed off into the wild unknown. Now for a frog to hop off alone into the land of predators is considered pure frog lunacy by all species. Scribble's brother, jealous of his frivolous sense of independence, warned him that he would end up on a hairless monkey's plate, between the broccoli and the mashed potatoes. But even this horror story could not hold back our adventurous frog from obeying his urge to discover some kind of meaning to it all.