The Top Spot
by Frank Weber; illus. by the author
Primary    Disney-Hyperion    48 pp.
9/24    9781368099110    $18.99

In this story told in the cadence of a folktale, a little ibex is minding his Ps and Qs when the biggest ibex comes along and challenges him to a duel for the “top spot.” The little ibex is confused at first, but after a knock-out head butt from the biggest ibex, he takes off running “down the mountainside, over the river, across a vast desert, into a dense forest.” There’s more than a dash of Klassen (The Skull, rev. 7/23, and others) in the strong shapes, earth tones, gritty textures, and shifty eyes of Weber’s art, a combination of pencil and digital paintings. When he finally stops running, the little ibex spots a goat at the top of a mountain and, believing it to be wise, asks for advice. After a couple of questions from the bewildered goat (just a kid, readers learn), the ibex decides to put his evasive skills to work. The wry text sits on spreads with plenty of white space, slowing the pace and giving readers the opportunity to consider the wisdom of the little ibex’s choices when he runs back and uses his nimble speed and his wiles to trick the other ibexes into falling off cliffs and getting stuck in crevasses. It isn’t until the little ibex eliminates all his competitors and gets the top spot that he pauses to consider whether this is something he even wants. This book should prompt thoughtful discussions about what’s important in life.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.