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Summary
Summary
Much of the richness of our language and moral education is owed to a Greek slave who was executed over two thousand years ago. Literally hundreds of metaphors, axioms, and ideas that are woven into the very fabric of Western culture--from "sour grapes" and "crying wolf" to "actions speak louder than words" and "honesty is the best policy"--all came from Aesop's Fables.
An extraordinary storyteller who used cunning foxes, surly dogs, clever mice, and foolish humans to describe the reality of a harsh world, Aesop created narratives that are appealing, funny, politically astute, and profoundly true. And Aesop's truth--often summed up in the pithy "moral of the story"--retains an awesome power to affect us, reaching us through both our intellects and our hearts.
Included here are such fables as "The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse," "The Wind and the Sun," "The Farmer and the Stork," "The Lioness," "The Brash Candlelight," "The Old Woman and the Physician," "The Mole and Her Mother," "The Swallow and the Crow," "The Man Bitten by a Dog," "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Monkey and the Dolphin," "The Hares and the Frogs," and many, many more.
Summary
Much of the richness of our language and moral education is owed to a Greek slave who was executed over two thousand years ago. Literally hundreds of metaphors, axioms, and ideas that are woven into the very fabric of Western culture, from 'sour grapes' and 'crying wolf' to 'actions speak louder than words' and 'honesty is the best policy', all came from Aesop's Fables. Includes such fables as: The Wind and the Sun, The Lioness, The Monkey and the Dolphin, and many, many more.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2 Up These ten well-known fables by Aesop have been given a new twist with songwriter Paxton's bouncy verse retellings. Even such familiar stories as ``The Fox and the Grapes,'' and ``The Tortoise and the Hare'' appear fresh due to the skilled and humorous verse. Rayevsky's expressive pen-and-ink with color wash illustrations are a perfect complement to Aesop's wry observations of human nature. The greedy fox, prideful lion, and over-confident hare each act like a mirror, reflecting our own shortcomings. Full of movement and life, these detailed illustrations are reminiscent of the engravings of Durer. The blending of Aesop's fables, Paxton's verse, and Rayevsky's illustrations creates a vital and entertaining work which will delight both eye and ear. Denise A. Anton, Cornbelt Library System, Normal, Ill. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
These 10 fables are given a fresh treatment in rhyme, and a new look by Rayevsky. His foxes, bears, lions and other animals appear in medieval and Shakespearean capes, jerkins and plumed hats, all in deep reds, subtle browns and greens. The verses are not always successful, often indulging in inverted syntax to rhyme, and uneven metrics. But phrasing is often clever, and humor is everywhere. In true Aesopian fashion, the morals are soundly thumped at the end: mouse and lion awkwardly learn, ``Yes, sometimes the weak and sometimes the strong/ Must help each other to save right from wrong.'' The boy who cried wolf is more snappily told, ``Please learn your lesson/ Young man and beware:/ Never cry `Wolf!'/ When the wolf isn't there.'' Ages 4-7. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Fourteen of Aesop's fables are illustrated by Hejduk, an architect, including 'The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,' 'The Hare and the Tortoise,' and 'The Fox and the Crow.' The primitive, earthy paintings seem more decorative than illustrative; otherwise, a fine example of bookmaking. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The one thing to be said for this particular embodiment of the fables--eleven in a large picture-book format--is that it's consistent: the prose is as ornate, and un-Aesopian, as the pictures. Some of the selections are not exactly childbait either--like the tale of the Bat, the Bramblebush, and the Cormorant who went into business together: ""The Bat borrowed money to finance their partnership, the Bramblebush bought cloth, and the Cormorant brought to their venture brass coins."" But the three lose their goods when their ship capsizes (the author's typically Latinate term--instead of plain ""sink""); and, ""Ever since, the Bat never ventures out before night, for fear of meeting his creditors,"" etc. (The moral? ""He who has been struck by great misfortune will remember it forever."") As it happens--though this is not atypical either--the finicky late Victorian illustration shows the three only separately, at different stages of the story. The new James Marshall version of the fables (below) has its drawbacks, but it also has some appeal for the picture-book age. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Retelling 10 famous fables of Aesop, Paxton prods and shapes the stories into verse. Changes come more in the author's point of view than in the morals or the plots. For instance, ``The Boy Who Cried Wolf'' is told as an admonishing lecture to a shepherd boy. While the necessity of rhyming occasionally forces awkward sentence order or word choice, songwriter Paxton also comes up with many felicitous phrases. The rhythms are so precise that one can almost hear the guitar accompaniment in the background. Rayevsky's droll illustrations are fine-line drawings tinted with delicately shaded greys, browns, greens, and blues and warmed with flashes of scarlet. His characters, some clothed in Renaissance garb, trip through the pages with grace and elan. At times even the forms and composition hark back to an earlier period of art, as if seeking a suitable milieu for these timeless tales. A good addition for libraries seeking to offer many versions of the fables. CP. 398.2'452 Fables [CIP] 88-1652