ANIMALS, INC.: A Business Parable for the 21st Century

Managers and small business owners who are overwhelmed by the number of business books on the shelves today should turn to this humorous business parable, which is delightfully dramatized by Ward. When Farmer Good decides to retire, his animals take on the business themselves. This proves to be no easy task, however, even for a seasoned pig like Moe. Moe makes his biggest mistake early on—he values the knowledge he gleans from business books over common sense. Moe sets up training classes, believing that any animal can fill any role with suitable education. Thus, the Scarecrow is promoted to egg production, and Chucky the crow fills the Scarecrow's old security position, which proves to be disastrous. All the while, one power-hungry land developer watches and waits for the farm to fail. The authors' message—use your common sense—is simplistic, but their characterizations are as memorable as Ward's performance. Ward has the uncanny ability to make listeners feel right at home with the animals on the farm, and he does an exceptional job of drawing out the humor in the text (his rendition of Piggy Banks's rap number is especially side-splitting). Enhanced by animal sound effects and snippets of folk music, this spunky farm fable will charm both adults and children. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover. (Feb.)