Aesop
The quintessential fabulist, Aesop was a fabulous figure himself, a slave who is credited with writing more fables than one human should be able to, and whose disputed place of origin ranges from Eastern Europe to Western Africa. Above all, Aesop’s fables are so well known and loved that they’ve become a part of our psychological mythos.
Specific Aesopian ideas like “slow and steady wins the race” and “never cry wolf” point to the larger idea of ‘learning your lesson’ that Aesop has handed down the generations—the idea that a wise old storyteller with a finger to wag can tell you about characters who learned lessons the hard way, so you don’t have to. It is one of the most valuable early tools children have to sharpen their mind and practice for the bigger world.
The books here are mostly retellings or compilations of Aesop’s fables. Some of them tell the classic tales with a unique or modern twist. Whatever the form, these books are essential reading at home or in the classroom for children to better know and appreciate the world.
Contributor: Brendan Frost
Reviews
Aesop's Fables
Saviour Pirotta
Illustrated by Richard Johnson
Eight fables are expanded and developed into short stories with settings in Ancient Greece. A fictitious Aesop introduces himself in a conversational tone at the beginning of the book. He continues his chat with the reader as he introduces each of the tales with the description of a possible incident that could have inspired the moral of the story. “The Cat’s Bell” features disgruntled mice sharing grievances about the farm cat before they devise a solution that none will put into action. The familiar mouse that saves the lion is given a family of eight children to help chew through the net that encases the lion. A wolf wisely chooses freedom over the possible pleasures of being a pet dog. Of course, the farmer kills the goose that lays golden eggs, thus losing his good fortune. The stork evens the score with the fox when invited to dinner. The tortoise reminds the hare (and the reader) that “Slow and steady wins the race.” The foolish frogs discover that they had been much better off without a king. And a jay learns that peacock feathers do not transform him into a fine bird. Colorful, whimsical illustrations depict people and animals in Ancient Greece as gracious and joyful. An engaging introduction to these timeless tales. 2005, Kingfisher, $12.95. Ages 7 to 11. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7534-5919-5
Aesop's Funky Fables
Vivian French
Illustrated by Korky Paul
French has retold ten of Aesop's best known fables in a large, handsome picture book format, half of them in rap-like staccato verse and the rest in prose enlivened by spicy dialogue and block capital sound effects. Paul's strident, cartoonish illustrations amplify the megaphone effects of this treatment. The intrusion of dire adjectives like 'funky' into the titles of collections of traditional tales always gives me the sort of sinking feeling that many people must experience when they see venerable artists squandering their dignity by attempting to be trendy, and I must admit that the raucousness of some of these versions did nothing to enhance my enjoyment of them. However the children I showed this book to did enjoy the look and the feel of it, and the opportunities it offers for recitation and performance would be welcomed by many teachers. 1998 Category: 5-8 Infant/Junior. Rating: *** (Good). ...., Hamish Hamilton, 80pp, D12.99 hbk. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: George Hunt (Books for Keeps No. 109, March 1998).
ISBN: 978-0-24113620-1
ISBN: 0-24113620-2
Aesop's Fables
Lisbeth Zwerger
Twelve fables from the familiar “Fox and the Grapes” and ”The Tortoise and the Hare” to the lesser-known “The Man and the Satyr” and “The Hare and the Frogs” are presented in this handsome reissue, complemented by Zwerger’s signature ink and wash artwork. There is a balance to the wit and wisdom of the fables, as there is to the crisp layout of text on the left and illustrations on the right. Each moral is neatly furnished at the conclusion of the succinct fable. This reprint is a worthy collection for any library, classroom, or home bookshelf. 2006 (orig.1989), North-South Books, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7358-2068-5
ISBN: 0-7358-2068-6
El Asno Vestido de León/Donkey in the Lion’s Skin
Eric Blair ; Illustrations by Dianne Silverman
This blue level book, a part of the “Read-it! Readers” Spanish series, provides colorful and vibrant illustrations to accompany the text. The introduction of the story begins with the definition of a fable for children and the identification of Aesop’s fables. In this story, children will read about a donkey that the author deems lacking in intelligence because he decides to don a lion’s skin that he finds on one of his walks. The donkey then decides to frighten all the animals that live in the forest, and people are not immune to his prank. In his practical joke, he inadvertently lets out a bray and a clever fox realizes that he is not a lion after all but a donkey underneath the lion’s skin. Young readers can discuss the moral to the story after reading this fable. An Accelerated Reader quiz is available for this selection. The blue level in this series introduces new ideas, larger vocabulary, and a variety of language structures for beginning readers. 2006, Picture Window Books, $14.95. Ages 4 to 9. Reviewer: Rosa Roberts (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4048-1620-6
ISBN: 1-4048-1620-8
Bat's Big Game
Margaret Read MacDonald
Illustrations by Eugenia Nobati
Through the use of a popular sport and appealing animal characters, this simplified retelling of a classic Aesop’s tale teaches a lesson about team spirit, loyalty and friendship. The Animals and Birds decide to play a competitive game of soccer, and both teams design T-shirts to prepare for the big game. The Birds’ T-shirts are orange with a big white B and the Animals’ T-shirts are blue with a big white B. Bat, who wants to play on the winning team, switches from team to team throughout the game and is finally told that he can not play at all because, as Bear says, “good players stick with their team even when they are losing.” This is a wonderful book with a special message and illustrations that are lively, expressive and unique. Young readers will learn about characteristics of animals as well as birds as they read about how Bat classifies himself as a bird to be on the birds’ team and then as an animal to be on the animals’ team. Young readers will enjoy this delightful animal story about soccer, loyalty and sportsmanship, and they will enjoy reading this book with or without an adult reading partner. This appealing book will be treasured by young readers, and it will be a wonderful addition to any primary-grade classroom library collection. 2008, Albert Whitman and Company, Ages 3 to 8, $16.95. Reviewer: Susan Borges
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0587-8
The Big Race
Shirley Glaser
Illustrations by Milton Glaser
Are you looking for a fresh retelling of the fable of The Hare and The Tortoise? Look no further. This retelling as a “turnover” book will give young readers a new way to look at the fable. Harry Hare is racing fast. His story starts on the right side up of the book. Harry races past England’s Big Ben. He passes through the Netherlands. He zips past the leaning tower of Pisa. His nose twitches at the scents of Spain and he gets hot near the pyramids of Egypt. Harry keeps on racing. When he reaches men on stilts in New Guinea, young readers flip the text. Harry continues his journey and passes dragon kites in China, the Parthenon in Greece, and a volcano in Hawaii. Then, just as Harry is sweeping to the finish line in a windstorm in the United States, young readers flip the book again and of course there is Tommy Tortoise who is already at the end. Young readers will enjoy Harry’s journey around the world, and will find the flip-over concept brings a breath of fresh air to a classic fable. 2005, Hyperion Books, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Mindy Hardwick (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7868-1821-1
ISBN: 0-7868-1821-2
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Retold by B.G. Hennessy
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
This retelling of the old story of the boy who pretends a wolf is chasing his sheep one too many times offers a new perspective: the shepherd’s. In Hennessy’s version of the story, the reader learns that the shepherd boy is bored, bored, bored--and he is not finding his sheep very interesting company. So the boy cries “wolf,” and as a result has a friend sent up from the village to play with him for the afternoon. The boy has such fun he cries wolf again, and has another delightful afternoon playing with a friend. The third day the boy is just getting bored enough to cry wolf when three wolves actually appear. Not surprisingly, no help arrives and the boy is left to look for his sheep all afternoon by himself. In Hennessy’s version, no sheep are actually eaten (or even lost); Boris Kulikov’s wry illustrations show the boy’s sheep hiding in a tree out of harm’s way. Kulikov injects great personality into his sheep, whether they are trying to learn new tricks or saving the little boy from falling off a cliff. This is not so much a new telling of the story as it is one that recognizes that even sheep can have a sense of humor. 2006, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, $15.95. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Lauri Berkenkamp (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-689-87433-8
ISBN: 0-689-87433-2
El Cascabel del Gato
Eric Blair
Illustrated by Diane Silverman
Translated by Patricia Abello
Mice gathered together discuss how to protect themselves from their worst enemy, the cat, in this retelling of Aesop’s fable, part of the “Fables” subset of the “Read it! Readers” series. The mice consider making a trap and getting a dog before a young mouse suggests putting a bell on the cat. Everyone approves of this idea, until an older mouse asks, “¿Cuál de todos le va a poner el cascabel al gato?” (Who will bell the cat?). Met with silence, the older mouse pronounces the moral of the story: “Es más fácil decir que hacer” (Easier said than done). Children may well wonder what the mice will think of next. Digitally created illustrations are limited to showing the well-dressed mice at the gathering. A short paragraph preceding the text introduces fables in general and Aesop’s fables in particular, making this a good choice for early readers studying fables and folklore. 2006, Picture Window Books, $19.95. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Anamaria Anderson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4048-1615-2
ISBN: 1-4048-1615-1
The Contest Between the Sun and the Wind: An Aesop's Fable
Illustrated by Susan Gaber
As he watches a man in an overcoat walk down a road, the Sun challenges the bragging Wind to a contest of strength. Which one of them can take the coat off the man? The Wind blows as mightily as he can; the man just clutches his coat more tightly. But when the Sun shines ever more brightly, and the man finally takes his coat off. The Sun tells the amazed Wind that he did not force the man, but “[t]hrough gentleness … won [his] way.” The text is brief and simple, with an occasional rhyme. Gaber employs impressionistic symbols rather than naturalism for the visual tale. The first double-page scene, a gray bird’s eye view of the countryside near a city, is sparked by a meandering yellow ribbon of a path or road. Turning the page, we see it is a path to a cliff, with the man surrealistically walking over the airborne path to another cliff. The Wind is depicted as a round gray head with bulging eyes and sharp teeth; the smiling yellow Sun emits multiple yellow rays. Spattered paint suggests the fury of the whipping wind, while the peaceful ending includes rainbows, cavorting horn-players, and animals joining the smiling sun. In a final note, the author asks, “Can gentleness, instead of force, be an effective way to achieve a goal?” 2008, August House LittleFolk, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-87483-832-9
Foxy Fables
Tony Ross
When a modern writer-artist, with such a keen ear for contemporary parlance, meets Aesop, we can be sure that fables have fresh, polished meanings. Ross's foxes are never one-dimensionally sly: they're likeable, down-and-outers, rouées, adventurers. The dialogue is clipped, sharp, streetwise, funny. The six fables here are well constructed, and meanings are never too pointed. The young will read those in the pictures as much as in the texts. Category: Junior/Middle. . ...., Picture Puffin, D1.95. Ages 8 to 10. Reviewer: Colin Mills (Books for Keeps No. 48, January 1988).
ISBN: 978-0-14-050611-2
ISBN: 0-14-050611-X
Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited
Nikki Giovanni
Illustrations by Chris Raschka
Jimmy Grasshopper wants his lawyer, the robin, to sue the ants. Jimmy provided the ants with music as they store food for the winter. The robin and his partners decide to show the value of art that Jimmy provides. So begins the retelling of the Aesop fable of “The Grasshopper and the Ant.” Jimmy’s lawyers hope to prove that the grasshopper deserves some respect and possibly some of the ants’ harvest. The ants’ lawyers hope to show the value of hard work. While Nikki Giovanni brings a fresh perspective to this familiar fable, the tale’s original moral is lost and the idea of art being valued may be too subtle for some readers. It is interesting to see the defense of The Grasshopper but one must read carefully to find the subtle humor and understand the trial. Chris Raschka’s watercolor illustrations do not strengthen Giovanni’s unique perspective. Some older children may find this tale refreshing and may want Grasshopper to succeed. Younger readers may not understand the book’s legal focus. It could be used with middle school readers to begin discussion of artistic value or to read a fable with a different viewpoint. 2008, Candlewick Press, Ages 7 to 10, $16.99. Elizabeth Fronk (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3021-8
The Kindness Quilt
Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Minna listens with her bunny classmates as their teacher reads the Aesop fable, “The Lion and the Mouse.” In the fable, the lion catches the mouse, but the mouse promises to do something nice to help him someday if the lion will let him go. The lion laughs, but lets him go. Later, when the lion gets trapped in a net, the mouse gnaws on the ropes and frees the lion. After they hear this story, the students are inspired to do a “Kindness Project.” They are to do something kind, then write and draw what they did, and share it with the class. Minna is so enthused that she does several acts of kindness, so she draws her pictures and puts them together. When she presents her project, the students think it looks like a quilt. The class decides to put all of their pictures together to make a big paper quilt to hang on the bulletin board. Days pass with more acts of kindness, until they have so many that they decide to hang them in the long hall. Other classes join in and the kindness keeps growing. The illustrations of cut? paper collages are sweet and colorful against a white background. The children’s writing and the drawings are large enough to be read. This story makes a good model for teachers to create a similar project. The kindnesses, such as “sharing your toys” and “reading books to your little brother,” are great examples. 2006, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Vicki Foote (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5313-0
ISBN: 0-7614-5313-X
The McElderry Book of Aesop's Fables
Michael Morpurgo
Illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark
Morpurgo begins this beautiful collection of fables with a fable--of a lion that reads stories and then eats his sleeping listeners. The moral of this first fable is “A story is as good as a feast. But watch out and make sure you don’t go to sleep!” All of the fables tell easy-to-understand stories. The moral, in large print at the end of the fable, leaves readers with no doubt as to what the fable is teaching. The easy comprehension along with the multiple fables make this book ideal for reading aloud--especially for children who have attention spans that will only last for one fable at a time. Clark’s illustrations beautifully match the fables. Each page has at least a small watercolor illustration while a plethora of full page illustrations are scattered throughout the fables. This is a great collection of fables that will truly be a “feast” for Aesop fans. This book was published in Great Britain as The Orchard Book of Aesop’s Fables. 2004 (orig. 2004), Margaret K McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, $19.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Joella Peterson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-0290-4
ISBN: 1-4169-0290-2
Never Cry Woof!: A Dog-u-drama
Jane Wattenberg
The Aesop fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is updated and invigorated by Wattenberg’s contemporary slang- and pun-filled prose, illustrated with intensely colored photographs that were “scanned, reworked, and collaged in Adobe Printshop.” Even before the title page we are introduced to Hunky-Dory and Bix, two unemployed pooches who read a want ad for “fierce, snarling guard dogs” to protect sheep. Chosen from a “gazillion” other applying dogs, they arrive at the Sheepburbs. Hunky-Dory wants to follow all the rules but Bix, becoming bored, barks a false warning to the annoyance of the other watching dogs. He then does it a second time, so when a real wolf appears, no one moves even a paw at his frantic barks. The abrupt end leaves the consequences to our imaginations. Page designs combine a sans serif typeface in several sizes intermixed with colored photographs in a peaceful, verdant landscape. The dogs wear an amusing variety of hats; the sheep graze everywhere. Interspersed are oddities like a van labeled “Lambulance,” signs warning “Wolves Closer Than You Think” and “Truth or Consequences just down the road” in this verbal and visual romp. 2005, Scholastic Press, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-439-21675-3
ISBN: 0-439-21675-3
Pop-up Aesop
John Harris
Illustrated by Calef Brown
This unique and entertaining pop-up book about fables was produced by the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Not the same old Aesop” it says on the back cover. The first tale is the familiar race of the tortoise and the hare, won by the tortoise. “Slow and steady wins the race,” is the message delivered when a clearly-marked tab is pulled. The next four fables are less familiar, but all brief and to the point. On the last spread the reader is invited to create his or her own fable by pulling down the tab at the end of Aesop’s beard causing a list of suggested morals to appear. On the left side of the spread is a game board with eight different animals and a wheel to spin--twice--to determine the two animals that might become characters in the reader’s new fable. Throughout, the illustrations are stylized and “arty,” just what you might expect from a museum production. 2005, Getty Publications, $17.95. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Eleanor Heldrich (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8923-6814-3
The Race of the Century
Retold and illustrated by Barry Downard
The classic tale of hare and tortoise is brought up to date, complete with newspaper and TV coverage, including Donkey’s commentary for the Critter News Network Wide World of Sports. As usual, Flash Harry Hare sets off at top speed, but he soon gets sidetracked signing autographs and posing for photos. Feeling drowsy, he stops for a nap, as Tom Tortoise plods slowly on. Also as usual, “fast and flashy” doesn’t always beat “slow and steady.” Harry Hare has had a “bad hare day.” The comic visual narrative is created from color photographs that have been “snaffled” and then combined using a computer. The resulting collages are sometimes simple scenes of snoozing Harry as Tom ambles by and, at other times, jumbled scenes of all sorts of animals watching and commenting on the race. Harry is an anthropomorphic Adonis while Tom wears only a sweat band and what looks like store-bought teeth. The end pages go from start to finish, with laughs on every page. 2008, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $15.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4169-2509-5
ISBN: 1-4169-2509-0
A Sip of Aesop
Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Karen Barbour
This clever retelling of thirteen of the better-known fables (The Hare and the Tortoise, The Boy Who Cried Wolf) is structured with a poem on the left-hand page and a moral on the right. Both the poems and the morals are in rhyme and are succinct and amusing. The rare difficult words are usually clear from the context, and children should have no trouble "getting" the stories the first time through. The morals, however, seemed to be aimed at the adults; many contain puns that will require long explanations. The illustrations are bold and colorful with a "primitive" quality that meshes well with the timeless quality of the stories. 1995, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, $14.95. Ages 5 up. Reviewer: Andrea Brott (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780590478953
ISBN: 0590478958
Two Fables of Aesop
Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss
Illustrated by Bruce MacDonald
This is one of a series of very short picture books in the “Books for Young Learners” collection of Richard C. Owen Publishers. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the teaching guide Children Tell Stories by the same authors, who are professional story-tellers. It consists of a very simple rendering of two of the most popular of Aesop’s Fables, the Fox and the Crow (called The Singing Crow in this volume) and the Fox and the Goat, complete with accompanying morals at the end of each. The illustrations are lively and highly traditional in style, heavily crosshatched pen-and-ink with watercolor washes. A note on the back cover exhorts youngsters to try telling the stories themselves, in their own words, with suggestions for enlivening the storytelling with dramatic expression. While the stories are clearly and vividly written, it is difficult to determine why this particular volume would be necessary in a classroom, as there are so many similar versions of these two fables already available in libraries. 2006, Richard C. Owen Publishers, $5.00. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Michele Tremaine (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-5727-4718-0
ISBN: 1-5727-4718-8
When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Folktale from the Choctaw Nation
Tim Tingle
Illustrated by Stacey Schuett.
This Choctaw version of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, is retold with equal wisdom but more humor. It points out the common tendency to blame others for offenses we commit, but also models reconciliation and generosity, showing that cooperation solves problems. Without preachiness, readers are reminded that learning is the point of experience, but in this case the lesson is not only that the weak may prevail but also that it helps to have powerful friends. The storyteller’s heartening conversational voice brings the vocabulary down to earth, substituting turtle and rabbit for tortoise and hare. Author and illustrator play with size images to increase the contrast between big and small, fast and slow. The illustrations so enlarge the animals that we perceive the landscape from the turtle’s perspective--very near to the ground. Action scenes explode with color and movement, some of them bursting the bounds of their tame, tessellated frames, contrasting the turtle’s slow, low lifestyle with the explosive events around him. The majesty of wings astounds both the ground-bound animals, rabbit and turtle, and the reader, and fills a double spread with their mythic power. The big astounded eyes of the surprised rabbit are compared to “Little Bitty Turtle shells,” and thus embarrass him more. Irony adds humor when the defeated rabbit hops away like a bunny, but making “hip-hoppity, hip-hoppity” sound like a poor and somehow very slow exit line. 2007, August House LittleFolk, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Christina M. Desai (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8748-3777-3
Wolf! Wolf!
John Rocco
The traditional story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf is elegantly retold in this beautifully illustrated children’s book. In this updated version of the classic tale, the hungry wolf is too old and too slow to catch animals. Instead he dines on the vegetables that he has been trying to grow in his garden. When he hears a voice calling “wolf,” curiosity inspires the old wolf to seek the source of the cries. The hungry wolf is amazed to discover a young boy who is responsible for watching a group of goats. Hidden amongst the weeds, the wolf is not seen. Villagers quickly appear and they are angry with the boy who obviously found humor in summoning them for no apparent reason. The wolf quickly assesses the situation and devises a trick of his own. No one gets eaten in this delightful version of the story and everyone enjoys a delicious meal. 2007, Hyperion Books for Children, $15.99. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Denise Daley (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0012-6
ISBN: 1-4231-0012-3
Added 07/30/08
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