COYOTE'S SOUNDBITE

Coyote attends a conference of the earth goddesses in drag and contributes a great idea.

The six earth goddesses “from far-flung corners of the planet” plan a conference, for female creatures only, to discuss “whether humans are blind / or have simply lost their mind.” The ethnically diverse earth goddesses watch over every happening on Earth, down to “a tiny seed waking in a cradle of darkness.” But the earth goddesses themselves have never been seen. Coyote decides to wear his wife’s dress to attend the historic event. Each earth goddess gives a short speech about her contributions to life on the planet and her disappointment in humanity’s treatment of it. When they invite questions, a long silence ensues, and Coyote decides to offer a suggestion: the titular sound bite to get their message across to humans. His suggestion is gladly accepted. When Coyote gets home, he finds his wife dressed in his own suit and discovers she, too, has been out making suggestions at a conference not intended for her gender. Agard’s rhythmic verse reads like a classic fable, with intriguing characters and an interesting premise. The cross-dressing coyotes are an unfortunate diversion from the otherwise-engaging story; the fact that the only male in attendance comes up with the solution reduces the empowering message despite the ironic turn at the end of the tale. Grobler’s busy, characteristically scribbly illustrations add interest to each spread.

Very nearly successful.