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Fables from Aesop
From century to century, generation to generation, Aesop's fables have entertained, enlightened minds, and warmed hearts around the world. Now in this unique collection, Tom Lynch uses collages of vivid color, intriguing texture and folk art style to re-invent fourteen of these well known and loved fables for today's children.
The crisp retellings of Aesop's tales and the beauty of Tom Lynch's illustrations will encourage readers to look closely before they leap from one fable to the next.
The crisp retellings of Aesop's tales and the beauty of Tom Lynch's illustrations will encourage readers to look closely before they leap from one fable to the next.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
16 people want to read
About the author
Aesop
2,466 books1,101 followers620 BC - 564 BC
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
Tradition considers Greek fabulist Aesop as the author of Aesop's Fables , including "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Fox and the Grapes."
This credited ancient man told numerous now collectively known stories. None of his writings, if they ever existed, survive; despite his uncertain existence, people gathered and credited numerous tales across the centuries in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Generally human characteristics of animals and inanimate objects that speak and solve problems characterize many of the tales.
One can find scattered details of his life in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work, called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος), whose cleverness acquires him freedom as an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last two and a half millennia included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Abandoning the perennial image of Aesop as an ugly slave, the movie Night in Paradise (1946) cast Turhan Bey in the role, depicting Aesop as an advisor to Croesus, king; Aesop falls in love with a Persian princess, the intended bride of the king, whom Merle Oberon plays. Lamont Johnson also plays Aesop the Helene Hanff teleplay Aesop and Rhodope (1953), broadcast on hallmark hall of fame.
Brazilian dramatist Guilherme Figueiredo published A raposa e as uvas ("The Fox and the Grapes"), a play in three acts about the life of Aesop, in 1953; in many countries, people performed this play, including a videotaped production in China in 2000 under the title Hu li yu pu tao or 狐狸与葡萄 .
Beginning in 1959, animated shorts under the title Aesop and Son recurred as a segment in the television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, its successor. People abandoned the image of Aesop as ugly slave; Charles Ruggles voiced Aesop, a Greek citizen, who recounted for the edification of his son, Aesop Jr., who then delivered the moral in the form of an atrocious pun. In 1998, Robert Keeshan voiced him, who amounted to little more than a cameo in the episode "Hercules and the Kids" in the animated television series Hercules.
In 1971, Bill Cosby played him in the television production Aesop's Fables.
British playwright Peter Terson first produced the musical Aesop's Fables in 1983. In 2010, Mhlekahi Mosiea as Aesop staged the play at the Fugard theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 19, 2017
Fables of Aesop retold by James Reeves was published in 1961 by Blackie and Son LTD. This is a collection of fables with a guided reading level of T and lexile level 780L.
Aesop was a Greek slave who became famous for his fables 4,000 years ago. Today, we still read many of his fables. This book has 53 fables ranging from reading level R-U. All the fables are between 2-5 pages long. Some fables in this book include the County Mouse and the City Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Lion and Mouse. This book of fables are excellent for children in 4-6 grade. Each fable incorporates some 'old English' words and has a moral at the end. Additionally, each fable has 1-2 pictures to illustrate the climax of the story. There are many lessons within this book it is easy to choose a story that is relevant to students lives.
I would use Aesop's fables when teaching a short story unit. Students will be able to reference Aesop's fables while writing their fables and include a timeline events, transition words, and moral.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.D
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
Aesop was a Greek slave who became famous for his fables 4,000 years ago. Today, we still read many of his fables. This book has 53 fables ranging from reading level R-U. All the fables are between 2-5 pages long. Some fables in this book include the County Mouse and the City Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Lion and Mouse. This book of fables are excellent for children in 4-6 grade. Each fable incorporates some 'old English' words and has a moral at the end. Additionally, each fable has 1-2 pictures to illustrate the climax of the story. There are many lessons within this book it is easy to choose a story that is relevant to students lives.
I would use Aesop's fables when teaching a short story unit. Students will be able to reference Aesop's fables while writing their fables and include a timeline events, transition words, and moral.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.D
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
April 24, 2024
The artwork in this selection is stunning. The artist merges realism with emotion+stylisation so well
Read
March 13, 20171. There are no awards for this book.
2. The stories themselves are appropriate for all ages but not the language. The language used in this book is appropriate for older children.
3. I read six fables. "The Men and the Oyster" is about two men who argue over an oyster and ask someone else to judge but the third man takes the oyster meat inside. "The North Wind and the Sun" is about the wind and the sun fighting over who was stronger by seeing who can force a man to take off his coat. "The Dog and the Crocodile" is about a dog how stops by the Nile to take a sip of water and sees a crocodile and flees but the crocodile tries to trick him into coming back so the crocodile could have a snack. "The Oak and the Reed" is about a reed and oak bickering about who was stronger until a wind came and blew them both over. "The Dog and the Wolf" is about a dog sleeping on the porch of a house and meeting a wolf who wants to eat him and the dogs is able to con his way out of being eaten by the wolf. "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg" is about a goose who laid golden eggs and the owner got greedy and killed the goose thinking that the goose was made of gold and instead just killed the goose for no reason.
4. The stories are appropriate for all ages because the messages are important for anyone to know, but this book's language seems a little advanced for some of the kids. The lack of illustrations and color makes it not appropriate for young children. It seems a little boring if I were to read the book as a whole.
5. One activity would be to read a fable and in groups, try to figure out the message within each fable. Another activity would be to illustrate the fables.
2. The stories themselves are appropriate for all ages but not the language. The language used in this book is appropriate for older children.
3. I read six fables. "The Men and the Oyster" is about two men who argue over an oyster and ask someone else to judge but the third man takes the oyster meat inside. "The North Wind and the Sun" is about the wind and the sun fighting over who was stronger by seeing who can force a man to take off his coat. "The Dog and the Crocodile" is about a dog how stops by the Nile to take a sip of water and sees a crocodile and flees but the crocodile tries to trick him into coming back so the crocodile could have a snack. "The Oak and the Reed" is about a reed and oak bickering about who was stronger until a wind came and blew them both over. "The Dog and the Wolf" is about a dog sleeping on the porch of a house and meeting a wolf who wants to eat him and the dogs is able to con his way out of being eaten by the wolf. "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg" is about a goose who laid golden eggs and the owner got greedy and killed the goose thinking that the goose was made of gold and instead just killed the goose for no reason.
4. The stories are appropriate for all ages because the messages are important for anyone to know, but this book's language seems a little advanced for some of the kids. The lack of illustrations and color makes it not appropriate for young children. It seems a little boring if I were to read the book as a whole.
5. One activity would be to read a fable and in groups, try to figure out the message within each fable. Another activity would be to illustrate the fables.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews