Volume I of Madfingers’ Almanac, Peculiar Parables for a Dubious Millennium is a collection of curiously delightful fables aimed at sophisticated, slightly off-kilter kids and the proud parents who are raising them just outside the box, off the wall…and a little bit to the left of center. (Think “Chicken Soup for the Sardonic Soul of the Princess Bride,” or James Thurber and Jules Pfeiffer meet Edward Gorey and Oscar Wilde in a smack-down grudge match…with Lemony Snicket as referee.) Magic, karma, fate … boogers? They’re all in there with a healthy serving of just desserts.
