by Sheila Bair
First published 2023
Arlene the giant tortoise creates a sensation when she appears wearing a crown of daisies. The beautiful flowers capture everyone's attention, and demand explodes overnight. Local florists quickly run out of stock, but Sly Seal recognizes an opportunity. He controls a hidden supply of daisies and begins raising prices as desperate customers compete for the blooms. The market takes on a life of its own as buyers purchase flowers from each other, each transaction pushing prices higher. Animals convince themselves they can flip their daisies for even greater profits later. But markets built on speculation rarely last. When news arrives that fresh daisy shipments are coming, the inflated prices cannot hold. The story follows these animal characters as they learn hard lessons about greed, market dynamics, and the difference between real value and artificial demand.
Genres: fiction, satire, animals, business, economics
Vibes: thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: animal-characters, economic-lessons
32 pages · Hardcover · Albert Whitman & Company