The Sweetest Fig

Author	Chris Van Allsburg
Language	English
Genre	Children's fantasy
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	25 October 1993
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	32 pp (hardcover edition)
ISBN	ISBN 978-0395673461 (hardcover edition)

The Sweetest Fig is a children's fantasy novel written in 1993 by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. It tells the dark, unsettling story of an affluent, cold-hearted French dentist who eats a fig that makes his wildest dreams come true.

Plot summary

Monsieur Bibot is a self-centered, mean, wealthy dentist. He lives alone in Paris, France, in a fancy apartment with his dog, Marcel. Bibot mistreats his terrier severely. Everything in his life seems in an order. Then one day, an impoverished old woman stops by his office to get her tooth extracted. After removing the tooth with a pair of pliers, Bibot is upset when the woman can't pay his fee in cash. Instead, she pays him by giving him two figs. According to the woman, the figs have the power to make his dreams come true. Naturally, Bibot scoffs at the thought of magical figs, and proceeds to eat one of the figs as a midnight snack. But he soon realizes that the fig makes his dreams come to life. Soon, Bibot finds himself walking Marcel in Paris in his underwear. People are staring at Bibot as Marcel drags him all across the streets of Paris. Also, the Eiffel Tower has drooped over. Everything Bibot dreams about comes true. Horrified and embarrassed by this mishap, Bibot vows to hypnotize himself to control his dreams. He plans to use them to become the richest man on Earth. This typically self-centered plan involves ditching Marcel, who he has continued to harm in more ways than one, for a string of Great Danes from a dream he had the night before. But one day, when Bibot isn't looking as he prepares dinner, the dog jumps off the floor and gobbles up the second fig sitting on the table. Bibot is furious and chases the dog around the house. Heartbroken over the fig, Bibot goes to sleep. The next morning, however, Bibot wakes up underneath his bed-as the dog. Marcel, who's now a man, tells Bibot it's time for his walk. Bibot tries to yell, but all he can do is bark.

NOTE: If you look closely, you can see a picture of Fritz, the pit bull terrier, on a bottle of Monsieur Bibot's French wine on one of the pages.

Although The Sweetest Fig does not present an unusual moral of the story, Chris Van Allsburg's characterization of Monsieur Bibot brings a chilling, frightening tone to the narrative. It also depicts the harsh realities of the master-slave relationship. This particular book is considered by many to be a significant achievement in Van Allsburg's literary career.