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Aesop's Fables
The noted illustrator presents thirteen of Aesop's most familiar fables.
27 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1985
About the author
Michael Hague
190 books93 followersMichael Hague is renowned as the illustrator of many children's classics, including editions of The Wizard Of Oz, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, and The Velveteen Rabbit. He also illustrated The Book of Ghosts, Where Fairies Dance, The Book of Wizards, and The Book of Fairy Poetry as well as wrote and illustrated the graphic novel in The Small. Michael lives with his wife, Kathleen, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 9, 2022
Nearly a year or so ago, I began putting together my plans for my 2022 reading challenges, back when all my books were either on hand or a quick drive away and I knew exactly what editions were best for what reading I wanted to achieve. Fast forward to the end of summer of said year, and we have me as a reader, my personal collection lacking a few major chunks and the public libraries of my youth far behind me. So, if you're wondering why I'm marking this pathetic driblet as read, this is the edition I could get on what pressed opportunities I have available to me, so I'm taking what I can get and holding out hope of an eventual reread of something more substantial further out. For all that, the fact that I spend half of my typical workday staffing at a children's library means my brain is in a good place for appreciating what ended up being a luxurious picture book, each story accompanied by at least one full page illustration that took up at least twice, if not more, space as its textual counterpart. Hardly the sort of edition that values attention to the text's origins or accuracy of the translation over presenting the base material in as culturally mainstream fashion, but with my relocated existence still encountering new pleasures alongside new problems all amidst a continual lack of free time, it's probably for the better that I take a break from all my adult pursuits and spend some time indulging the inner child.
A quick Wiki-ing of Aesop leads one to several suppositions: one, that the figure of Aesop actually existed; two, that he existed in the seventh to sixth centuries BCE; and that, during a chunk of his life, he was a slave. Barring the uncertainty of however many of these tales in both this edition and at large that this figure was actually responsible for composing, it's one thing to know their most famous iterations as a child, quite another to come back to them after having experienced many of their iterations, with their flattering predators, their pride cometh before the falls, the turns have tabled nature of power in a world before bodycams and AK-47s. In that respect, it's no wonder that the tales remain popular, for what can one do in an imperfect world in the wake of the latest failed protest and in the aftermath of the most recently hushed up tale of the bodies of the powerless bought and sold at the whims of the powerful? When the plans lay fallow and the bones begin to regroup, then it is the time for stories that lay out their scene, draw up their dichotomy, and then set the wheels spinning that can either follow a line of the hero pulling through through increasingly grandiose unrealities, or an everyfolk making their way in a world of giants and snake oil peddlers and being blessed with both sufficient fortune and sheer wit to sidestep both. Mainstream media clamors for 'representation' and 'influence', but when one is on their own amongst the horrors that go unpunished and the violence that go ever on, it's the kind of story that seeps into the brain when young and seen as prophesy when old. For all that, this selection still rates a firm three stars, but I do have to wonder what the world would be like had these tales not made their way down for the last two and a half millennia. Very different, I imagine, and not likely for the better.
As it has been the case for the last three months, it continues to be a time at work, and the fact that this distracts me from how much of a time the rest of the world is at least three times a week is a double edged sword, at best. This means that pulling together my brain for even a review of less than 50 pages of what would be easily (perhaps lazily) classified as children's material is just at the limits of my strength (although the two vaccines I received twelve hours ago may also be kicking in with a vengeance). In any case, I'm not going to quibble about this work being a classic. I'm just rather put out by what circumstances went into my first experience with the piece, as the seeming simplicity of the text usually makes for a perfect leaping off point into the most luxurious depths of annotations and references for a brain like mine. However, when all is said and done, my procrastination on writing this review ended up timing it rather perfectly, considering the relevancy of the text to the present moment. In a word, a cat may look at a queen, and it is the Aesops of the world that remind us of such when we need it most.
A quick Wiki-ing of Aesop leads one to several suppositions: one, that the figure of Aesop actually existed; two, that he existed in the seventh to sixth centuries BCE; and that, during a chunk of his life, he was a slave. Barring the uncertainty of however many of these tales in both this edition and at large that this figure was actually responsible for composing, it's one thing to know their most famous iterations as a child, quite another to come back to them after having experienced many of their iterations, with their flattering predators, their pride cometh before the falls, the turns have tabled nature of power in a world before bodycams and AK-47s. In that respect, it's no wonder that the tales remain popular, for what can one do in an imperfect world in the wake of the latest failed protest and in the aftermath of the most recently hushed up tale of the bodies of the powerless bought and sold at the whims of the powerful? When the plans lay fallow and the bones begin to regroup, then it is the time for stories that lay out their scene, draw up their dichotomy, and then set the wheels spinning that can either follow a line of the hero pulling through through increasingly grandiose unrealities, or an everyfolk making their way in a world of giants and snake oil peddlers and being blessed with both sufficient fortune and sheer wit to sidestep both. Mainstream media clamors for 'representation' and 'influence', but when one is on their own amongst the horrors that go unpunished and the violence that go ever on, it's the kind of story that seeps into the brain when young and seen as prophesy when old. For all that, this selection still rates a firm three stars, but I do have to wonder what the world would be like had these tales not made their way down for the last two and a half millennia. Very different, I imagine, and not likely for the better.
As it has been the case for the last three months, it continues to be a time at work, and the fact that this distracts me from how much of a time the rest of the world is at least three times a week is a double edged sword, at best. This means that pulling together my brain for even a review of less than 50 pages of what would be easily (perhaps lazily) classified as children's material is just at the limits of my strength (although the two vaccines I received twelve hours ago may also be kicking in with a vengeance). In any case, I'm not going to quibble about this work being a classic. I'm just rather put out by what circumstances went into my first experience with the piece, as the seeming simplicity of the text usually makes for a perfect leaping off point into the most luxurious depths of annotations and references for a brain like mine. However, when all is said and done, my procrastination on writing this review ended up timing it rather perfectly, considering the relevancy of the text to the present moment. In a word, a cat may look at a queen, and it is the Aesops of the world that remind us of such when we need it most.
October 31, 2021
Michael Hague's illustrations of thirteen fables is a wonderful journey through the picture books remembered from childhood. The stories are simply told - child friendly, I'd call them - without being simplistic. This is a good book for parents and young children to bond over.
I also enjoyed this version because the illustrations exemplify Aesop's use of animals to show human strengths and weaknesses. Like all good fantasy and science fiction, you can say things in fable and myth that you can't say in other forms or, often these days, publicly.
I also enjoyed this version because the illustrations exemplify Aesop's use of animals to show human strengths and weaknesses. Like all good fantasy and science fiction, you can say things in fable and myth that you can't say in other forms or, often these days, publicly.
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January 24, 2026Ni el dicho se la vuela tanto
July 9, 2018
Aesop's Fables is considered the classic of classics of multiple literary genres Children's, Fantasy, Classic, etc and other fields such as movies, animation, and so on with the media. Aesop's Fables is a collection of tales about animals, Greek mythic figures, Greek citizens, and even inanimate objects. Some stories involve an encounter between different beings such as animals and humans, others involve encounters among animals themselves, but mostly, they are fables; very short stories end a moral lesson shown, but other moral lessons will be observed after reading the overall tale. The titles of the tales sum up the stories of the characters Foxes, lions, wolves, donkeys and the rest of the animals and humans and mythical creatures. It might be a simple book, but that book is the source of inspiration and embodiment of literary or cinematic scenes such as to characters are antagonistic to each other will make an alliance to get rid of a shared threat as the story of if I'm not mistaken the Lion and the Wild Boar. Most of the stories might not be moral as much as inevitable truths about life conditions and their challenges.
5 stars
1 A fast-paced complete plot.
2- A variety of topics and prespectives.
3- A fit depiction of characters and their traits.
4- An experiment of the different generic forms.
5- A light snacky digestive reading with deep influential ideas.
Highly recommended and definitely it is a masterpiece that is worthy of reading.
5 stars
1 A fast-paced complete plot.
2- A variety of topics and prespectives.
3- A fit depiction of characters and their traits.
4- An experiment of the different generic forms.
5- A light snacky digestive reading with deep influential ideas.
Highly recommended and definitely it is a masterpiece that is worthy of reading.
March 9, 2017
Aesop’s Fables
Selected and Illustrated by Michael Hague
New York: Henry Holt, 1985
Genre: Fable
Ages: 5-10
A collection of thirteen fables told in simple and child friendly manner. Each fable ends with a theme statement which brilliantly and coherently captures the moral of the fable. The illustrations are excellent and could easily be sold as artwork/print. Each illustration is an extension of the words, simultaneously creating vivid visual images to convey recurring motifs of this traditional genre. For example, images of the little mouse gnawing through the rope to free the mighty though humiliated lion, and the wily old fox proudly standing outside the well after tricking the foolish goat to jump in, are powerful portrayals of the underling moral told through the animal characters.
I have forgotten how much I’ve loved fables as a child. Simple statements such as, “A simple life in peace and quiet is better than a luxurious life tortured by fear,” at the end of the “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,” and “Look before you leap” after the fable of the fox and the goat are reminders of why these stories are timeless and universal, and why they will always have a place in all library collections, and hopefully homes.
Selected and Illustrated by Michael Hague
New York: Henry Holt, 1985
Genre: Fable
Ages: 5-10
A collection of thirteen fables told in simple and child friendly manner. Each fable ends with a theme statement which brilliantly and coherently captures the moral of the fable. The illustrations are excellent and could easily be sold as artwork/print. Each illustration is an extension of the words, simultaneously creating vivid visual images to convey recurring motifs of this traditional genre. For example, images of the little mouse gnawing through the rope to free the mighty though humiliated lion, and the wily old fox proudly standing outside the well after tricking the foolish goat to jump in, are powerful portrayals of the underling moral told through the animal characters.
I have forgotten how much I’ve loved fables as a child. Simple statements such as, “A simple life in peace and quiet is better than a luxurious life tortured by fear,” at the end of the “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,” and “Look before you leap” after the fable of the fox and the goat are reminders of why these stories are timeless and universal, and why they will always have a place in all library collections, and hopefully homes.
May 11, 2016
Book one of the best children's books of all time has been read. This edition was cute. The art matched the fables' tone and each story even came with a little life lesson at the end. I thought the stories were gonna be longer and more in depth. But this is perfect for a little child to listen to. A parent can get through the whole book in one go.
October 19, 2016
Este es uno de los libros que más tiempo llevan conmigo, desde que era yo muy pequeña. Es una edición preciosa, con unas ilustraciones muy bonitas y con varias fábulas clásicas, aunque es un libro bastante delgado. Una lectura para disfrutar con los más pequeños.
May 12, 2019
The artwork was pretty nice! I like the art style as it reminded me of the old styles from the books I personally grew up with. Nice little quick read and may even read it to my own future little one(s). I like they put the moral of the stories at the end as well.
February 23, 2012
I liked some of the fables better than others. Good ones: El ratón de ciudad y el ratón de campo; El cuervo y la jarra; La liebre y la tortuga; El gallo y la joya.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews