The Sweetest Fig

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author = Chris Van Allsburg
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language = English
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genre = Children's fantasy
publisher = Houghton Mifflin
pub_date = 25 October 1993
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media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 32 pp (hardcover edition)
isbn = ISBN 978-0395673461 (hardcover edition)
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"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 wealthy dentist. He lives alone in Paris, France, in a fancy apartment with his dog, Marcel. Everything in his life seems quite satisfactory until 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 which she claims will 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. The old woman is right: Bibot finds himself walking Marcel in Paris in his underwear, stared at by the passers-by, and the Eiffel Tower has drooped over; everything in his dream has come true. Horrified and embarrassed by this mishap, Bibot vows to hypnotize himself to control his dreams so that he may 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 is preparing dinner, the dog 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, 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.