The image depicts the story of a farmer and an old mule that no longer works as hard as he used to. Exasperated, the farmer throws the mule down a useless dry well, and then proceeds to fill it with refuse that accumulates on the farm. The mule, which has survived the fall and is desperate to get out, is covered with the farmer's rubbish. Instead of giving up and being buried by it, he shakes it off and steps up on each new layer as it comes. Eventually the pile of trash fills the well and the mule finally leaps out as he nears the top, and trots away to finish his days grazing free. It's a parable of the spirit to keep trying no matter what life heaps upon you.

The main illustration was created in Corel Painter and finished in PhotoShop using a Wacom graphics tablet. The border texture is from clip art of various objects one might find in a landfill, from discarded food to old newspapers and shoes. This is one of many book covers our firm created for this client.