Aesop's Fables

by Tom Paxton, Robert Rayevsky (Illustrator)

A collection of fables from Aesop retold in verse

Genres: Picture Books, Fables

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1988

Reviews

[Abigail]

Ten of Aesop's classic fables are here retold by singer/songwriter Tom Paxton, who transforms them from pithy prose to rhyming verse. From the opening selection, Patience, in which a hungry fox finds it easier to squeeze into a hollow tree than out of it, to the final offering, The Grasshopper and the Ants, in which a singing grasshopper discovers too late that he should have spent his summer storing food, this is an eminently readable version of the fables. The rhythm and rhyme of Paxton's poetry make it a fun read-aloud, and an excellent story-hour offering. Other selections include:

The Fox and the Grapes, in which an unsatisfied fox decides that the grapes which he cannot obtain must be sour. It is from this famous fable that the phrase "sour grapes" is derived...

Poor Old Lion, also known as The Old Lion and the Fox, in which a clever fox avoids the pitfalls of visiting a sick lion, having observed that none of the other visitors ever leave...

The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, in which a greedy man, not satisfied with the wealth brought in by his extraordinary goose, decides to "speed things up," destroying the goose - and his good fortune - in the process...

Gratitude, also sometimes styled The Lion and the Mouse, in which a mouse proves that the small can sometimes help the mighty, and that no act of kindness is ever wasted...

The Tortoise and the Hare, in which the lesson of "slow and steady wins the race" is demonstrated by the persistent tortoise, who defeats his much faster opponent in a race...

The Dog in the Manger, in which a greedy dog determines that he will keep all the hay, and give none to the hungry horse, even though he himself has no use for the hay...

The Whispering Bear, in which the unexpected appearance of a bear tests the friendship of two men, one of whom learns that important lesson that "a friend in need, is a friend indeed."

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, in which a mischievous shepherd boy learns that it is unwise to cry for help when he does not need it...


The pleasure of reading Paxton's poems is enhanced by Robert Rayevsky's charming illustrations, with their engraving-like details and vivid hues. His foxes cavort in capes and plumes, his faces are marvelously expressive, from the proud tortoise to the chagrined hare. I understand that the Paxton/Rayevsky team has worked on other Aesop retellings, and I will make a point to hunt them down.

[Kourtney]

I loved this book got it to read to baby.

[Ally Copper]

Aesop’s Fables, retold in verse by Tom Paxton, is a 1988 publication of ten famous fables that are told to instruct readers and listeners about appropriate behavior and attitudes. The fables in Paxton’s retelling feature mostly animal characters (foxes, lions, mice, a tortoise, a hare, a dog, a horse, a bear, ants, and a grasshopper), but there are three fables featuring human main characters (all men). The fact that these fables are told in verse makes this an excellent book to read aloud. A reader could have fun with lines like, “There once was a lucky man / Who lived in days of old. / The gods had blessed him with a goose / Whose eggs were purest gold.” Readers (and listeners) in kindergarten through fifth grade will delight in these short stories in which characters get into surprising situations that will have readers laughing and thinking. This particular retelling of Aesop’s fables features old-timey illustrations that give this book a nostalgic feel. The characters (even some animals) are dressed in clothes that are reminiscent of Shakespearean costumes. The animals are not portrayed as cute or cuddly like they are in many modern picture books. The animal faces have personality, but some could be described as ugly or scary. Robert Rayevsky uses pen and watercolor (I believe) to create a style of illustration with a classic, vintage feel. For an introduction to Aesop’s Fables for a young reader or for a teacher doing a unit on fables and folk tales, you could do much worse than picking up “Aesop’s Fables” as retold by Tom Paxton.

[Pamela]

Classic Aesop fables put to verse. I really enjoyed the readability of the stories in verse form. I loved the morals of each story. Especially the moral of gratitude in "The Lion and the Mouse":

"The little mouse sang, 'Twas the least I could do,
For certainly, sir, I was grateful to you.
Yes, sometimes the weak and sometimes the strong
Must help each other to save right from wrong."

This is the moral I have always perceived from this story. I think it stuck out to me because I recently read another version of "The Lion and the Mouse" that chose the moral to be: "A kind deed is never wasted. You never know when a favor may come in handy". Is that why we help each other? For the sole purpose of what we may get out of it? To make sure someone owes us & can return the favor someday? I don't believe so. We help each other because it is the right thing to do. Whether we are small or big, weak or strong, we all have something positive & important we can contribute to help each other along the way.

[Anna]

1. SUMMARY – This collection of Aesop’s fables is written in verse. Each verse takes the reader on a quick but thoughtful journey filled with taking animals and characters with little character. Some lessons learned are patience is a virtue and greed will ultimately get you nothing. Some of these tales provide the origin to such phrases as sour grapes and crying wolf.
2. GENRE – This is an example of a picture book, traditional fiction and multicultural fiction. The pages of these animal stories are mostly illustrated with a few paragraphs per page at the most. Each of these fables tries to teach about human character and its consequences. They rhyme and use repetition and rhythm. The history of these tales is multicultural because of the claims that is comes from diverse sources.
3. LITERARY CONCEPTS – repetition, rhythm, rhyme, dialogue, character trait, plot, idiom, theme, moral, punctuation
4. TRAITS – ideas, sentence fluency, conventions
5. Interest level – 2nd +

[Ashlee]

Aesop's fables told in verse. "Fables are usually very short stories with just a few animal characters and explicit lessons designed to teach a stated moral" (p.84, Children's Literature in Action). Fox, lion, wolf, mouse, sheep. Illustrations done by Robert Rayevsky. Illustrations in reds, browns, and tans.

[Andrea Labonte]

Loved the book. A must read.

[Aysheh M]

I loved how cute it was and it rhymed a lot.