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Belling the Cat and Other Aesop's Fables
Selected fables from Aesop include The Night Singer, Honesty Is the Best Policy, and The Milkmaid and Her Pail.
- GenresFairy Tales
Library Binding
First published March 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 9, 2019
This was a great book. It provides an easy to read and follow story with moral lessons. I love it and would read it again in a heartbeat.
February 2, 2020
Following upon their initial Aesop collection, published in 1988, singer-songwriter Tom Paxton and illustrator Robert Rayevsky teamed up a second time in Belling the Cat and Other Aesop's Fables, which presents ten fables, retold in verse-form. Here the reader will encounter such ubiquitous favorites as Town Mouse and Country Mouse, in which a country mouse learns that the simple life of peace and quiet is best. Here too are lesser-known, but equally appealing selections, such as the humorous Who's Helping Whom? (also sometimes known as The Stomach and the Feet), in which the stomach and feet debate their importance to one another. The other fables include:
The titular Belling the Cat, in which a group of mice, determined to protect themselves from a dangerous cat, discover that a good idea isn't always practicable...
The Night Singer (The Caged Bird and the Bat), in which a songbird learns too late not to call attention to herself...
Many Friends (The Hare With Many Friends), in which a hare learns the value of true friendship when all her supposed "friends" cannot be bothered to help her in a time of crisis...
The Crow and the Pitcher, in which a clever crow finds a way to get the water he needs...
Honesty Is the Best Policy (The Honest Woodcutter), in which an honest woodcutter is rewarded, and a dishonest one is punished...
The Bird Who Lost His Song, in which the kite loses his ability to sing when he attempts to imitate the sounds of a horse's neigh...
The Milkmaid and Her Pail, in which a careless milkmaid loses her milk when she becomes distracted by her visions of what she will do with it...
And finally, The Dog in the River (The Dog and the Bone), in which a greedy dog loses the bone he has by reaching for something more...
Paxton's verse makes for an entertaining read, with the enjoyment considerably enhanced by reciting each selection aloud. Accompanied by Rayevsky's engraving-like illustrations, with their whimsical sartorial details, this collection should appeal to young Aesop fans and nursery-rhyme lovers. A worthy second volume from this duo!
The titular Belling the Cat, in which a group of mice, determined to protect themselves from a dangerous cat, discover that a good idea isn't always practicable...
The Night Singer (The Caged Bird and the Bat), in which a songbird learns too late not to call attention to herself...
Many Friends (The Hare With Many Friends), in which a hare learns the value of true friendship when all her supposed "friends" cannot be bothered to help her in a time of crisis...
The Crow and the Pitcher, in which a clever crow finds a way to get the water he needs...
Honesty Is the Best Policy (The Honest Woodcutter), in which an honest woodcutter is rewarded, and a dishonest one is punished...
The Bird Who Lost His Song, in which the kite loses his ability to sing when he attempts to imitate the sounds of a horse's neigh...
The Milkmaid and Her Pail, in which a careless milkmaid loses her milk when she becomes distracted by her visions of what she will do with it...
And finally, The Dog in the River (The Dog and the Bone), in which a greedy dog loses the bone he has by reaching for something more...
Paxton's verse makes for an entertaining read, with the enjoyment considerably enhanced by reciting each selection aloud. Accompanied by Rayevsky's engraving-like illustrations, with their whimsical sartorial details, this collection should appeal to young Aesop fans and nursery-rhyme lovers. A worthy second volume from this duo!
May 11, 2025
I was doing some research into Aesop and came across this book where the stories are put into poetry form with illustrations.
March 2, 2016
Title: Belling the Cat and Other Aesop’s Fables
Author: Retold by Tom Paxton
Illustrator: Robert Rayevsky
Genre: Fable
Theme(s): Different themes throughout
Opening line/sentence: BELLING THE CAT
What a terrible problem the cat was causing—
Brief Book Summary: This book contains many retellings of different famous Aesop’s fables. The thing different about these retellings are that they are in verse form throughout the entire book in each story.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Paxton and Rayevsky perform a fine encore following their Aesop's Fables in these 10 tales, which include ``Town Mouse and Country Mouse,'' ``The Crow and the Pitcher,'' ``Honesty Is the Best Policy'' and, especially delectable in its whimsy, ``Who's Helping Whom?,'' a dialogue between feet and stomach. Once again, text and illustrations are a model of ingenuity and economy. The verses have a rhythmic, laconic charm that sharpens the fables' irony; they practically beg to be read aloud. The bonnets, waistcoats and spurs sported by various characters reflect an offbeat but surprisingly effective visual interpretation. Stylized yet expressive, the paintings are remarkable for the humor, flavor and the sense of motion they convey in a limited space. Readers won't fail to appreciate the wit and jauntiness that spring from these pages to deliver each moral with a sly wink. Ages 4-up. (Mar.)
(PUBLISHER: Morrow Junior Books (New York:), PUBLISHED: c1990.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Rayevsky, Robert and Paxton, Tom Belling the Cat: And Other Aesop's Fables 40 pp. Morrow ISBN 0-688-08158-4 PE ISBN 0-688-08159-2
(2) K-3 series. Rhyming versions of ten familiar fables, similar in spirit to the pair's earlier collaboration, 'Aesop's Fables' (Morrow). In each case, the moral is included neatly in the verse. Rayevsky's paintings are humorously western in flavor; cowboy boots and overalls abound. Large, inviting pages seem to demand group sharing.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: After reading these two reviews I do not think either of them are a good product of a review. However, I was forced to use them since they were the only two reviews I could find on this particular book. Although, I do agree with the first review that each story is meant to be read aloud because of the verse that it is written in. I also think that the illustrations are perfect for the type of book this is. Since fables are tales from long ago I think that it is appropriate that the color scheme of this book is very neutral. Also I think that the illustrations of the characters are presented in an awesome way since you can almost guess what is going on in the text but it also allows some room for imagining what they characters are doing.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I think that the literary elements that are in this book are more for older children when reading alone but could be used as a read aloud book. When reading through this book the author’s style of writing was sort of confusing for me since he uses more of a poem and verse like writing and not a traditional story telling style. However, I think that this book would be great for a read aloud since as a teacher you will be able to tell this story and use the right tone of voice to get the point across. The theme of every story is also interesting since children will be able to relate to them. They will be able to relate to them because they relate to their own needs. Even though it is just coming from a different point of view they can think and use imagination to think of how it can relate to their lives.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would incorporate this book into a lesson plan in my classroom for grades 2-4. I would read each of these fables out loud to my class since I think it is a good read aloud book for any age group because it’s verse style makes it enjoyable. I would then give groups of children different fables that were included in the book and have them figure out what the moral/lesson of their story was. They will also try to think of an example that could possibly happen in their lives where they would use this lesson that they learned. I think this lesson would be important to all students because most morals you learn from fables will teach you life lesson that will be with you for the rest of your life.
Author: Retold by Tom Paxton
Illustrator: Robert Rayevsky
Genre: Fable
Theme(s): Different themes throughout
Opening line/sentence: BELLING THE CAT
What a terrible problem the cat was causing—
Brief Book Summary: This book contains many retellings of different famous Aesop’s fables. The thing different about these retellings are that they are in verse form throughout the entire book in each story.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Paxton and Rayevsky perform a fine encore following their Aesop's Fables in these 10 tales, which include ``Town Mouse and Country Mouse,'' ``The Crow and the Pitcher,'' ``Honesty Is the Best Policy'' and, especially delectable in its whimsy, ``Who's Helping Whom?,'' a dialogue between feet and stomach. Once again, text and illustrations are a model of ingenuity and economy. The verses have a rhythmic, laconic charm that sharpens the fables' irony; they practically beg to be read aloud. The bonnets, waistcoats and spurs sported by various characters reflect an offbeat but surprisingly effective visual interpretation. Stylized yet expressive, the paintings are remarkable for the humor, flavor and the sense of motion they convey in a limited space. Readers won't fail to appreciate the wit and jauntiness that spring from these pages to deliver each moral with a sly wink. Ages 4-up. (Mar.)
(PUBLISHER: Morrow Junior Books (New York:), PUBLISHED: c1990.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Rayevsky, Robert and Paxton, Tom Belling the Cat: And Other Aesop's Fables 40 pp. Morrow ISBN 0-688-08158-4 PE ISBN 0-688-08159-2
(2) K-3 series. Rhyming versions of ten familiar fables, similar in spirit to the pair's earlier collaboration, 'Aesop's Fables' (Morrow). In each case, the moral is included neatly in the verse. Rayevsky's paintings are humorously western in flavor; cowboy boots and overalls abound. Large, inviting pages seem to demand group sharing.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: After reading these two reviews I do not think either of them are a good product of a review. However, I was forced to use them since they were the only two reviews I could find on this particular book. Although, I do agree with the first review that each story is meant to be read aloud because of the verse that it is written in. I also think that the illustrations are perfect for the type of book this is. Since fables are tales from long ago I think that it is appropriate that the color scheme of this book is very neutral. Also I think that the illustrations of the characters are presented in an awesome way since you can almost guess what is going on in the text but it also allows some room for imagining what they characters are doing.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I think that the literary elements that are in this book are more for older children when reading alone but could be used as a read aloud book. When reading through this book the author’s style of writing was sort of confusing for me since he uses more of a poem and verse like writing and not a traditional story telling style. However, I think that this book would be great for a read aloud since as a teacher you will be able to tell this story and use the right tone of voice to get the point across. The theme of every story is also interesting since children will be able to relate to them. They will be able to relate to them because they relate to their own needs. Even though it is just coming from a different point of view they can think and use imagination to think of how it can relate to their lives.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would incorporate this book into a lesson plan in my classroom for grades 2-4. I would read each of these fables out loud to my class since I think it is a good read aloud book for any age group because it’s verse style makes it enjoyable. I would then give groups of children different fables that were included in the book and have them figure out what the moral/lesson of their story was. They will also try to think of an example that could possibly happen in their lives where they would use this lesson that they learned. I think this lesson would be important to all students because most morals you learn from fables will teach you life lesson that will be with you for the rest of your life.
May 5, 2008
very cool book - long poem like stories based on fables - easier for caroline to pay attention to - also cool pics and a great way to start talking about morals etc.
December 26, 2014
Loved the book. Must read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews