Louis I King of the Sheep Olivier Tallec

Louis finds a crown and declares he is the king! On the title page he appears in his ermine cape with a scepter (tree branch). He sits on his throne (low fork of a tree) and observes his subjects. He dispenses justice, makes speeches, and goes hunting. King Louis I decides he should hunt lions but "since there were no lions in his kingdom, he would have them brought to him for his pleasure." 

Echoing Louis XIV of France,  Louis I lives in a grand place and his worker sheep tend his magnificent royal gardens which contain statues of Louis I and topiary forms in his image. He even meets with ambassadors from other lands (moose, penguin, tapir and raccoon). Louis I has now become a dictator - he orders his people to march behind him "in sheep step".

Then we come to the most chilling page of all:

"Next, Louis I decided that only the sheep who resembled him could live at his side. The others must be driven out."

Thank goodness at this point it is another windy day and his crown blows away. Oh no wait til you see where in lands!

The publisher and most reviewers list this as a picture book for young children but I think the audience that will really appreciate the power and leadership commentary afforded by the story should be much older children in senior classes aged 10+. Louis I King of the Sheep was originally published in French (2014 English Edition 2015 Enchanted Lion Books).  I looked for some teaching notes - I am sure there would be some produced in French.  Read more about Olivier Tallec here. You could also use this book with High School students - read the review below from Brain Pickings below which mentions deeper themes such as The Holocaust.

Tallec leaves it up to readers to decide how much of Louis’power trip is imaginary, giving them plenty of details to pore over while they muse.  It’s a political education—Schoolyard Politics 101—in a picture book, one well worth having on the bookshelf. Kirkus

As Louis I rises to power by nothing more than chance, he gradually transmogrifies into an entitled and arrogant tyrant. BrainPickings

Difficult to find sweeter and more tender than a sheep, you think. And yet! Give a little bit of power (or illusion of power) to one of these harmless beings, and you will see what will happen: authoritarianism, tyranny, segregation ... Fortunately, it is always possible to get rid of a leader, but will the one that follows necessarily be better? Actua Litte

I would pair Louis I King of the sheep with these books: