Aesop's Fables

Rating:
Summary: illustrations are captivating
Review: As other reviewers have noted, the text of the fables is written in a contemporary style, but with oddly dated slang. The collection also omits some favorite fables (i.e., the tortoise and the hare is illustrated but not retold, Androcles and the Lion is not included at all...). However, the illustrations really draw young readers into the tales. I would have purchased this book for the illustrations alone. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A delightfully illustrated retelling of 15 of Aesop's fables
Review: We will never run out of illustrated books based on "Aesop's Fables" and this 2003 volume covers fifteen fables retold and illustrated by Brad Sneed (with one that is illustrated but not retold to see if readers are paying attention). In terms of classic fables there is "The Ant and the Grasshopper," "The Fox and the Crow," and "The Crow and the Pitcher." On that last one the moral, "Necessity is the mother of invention," might be more recognizable than the fable itself. Likewise, even young readers might recognize the moral "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and never think that it was associated with "The Caged Bird and the Bat." Of course, half the fun with teachers using Aesop's fables in class is having the kids take a guess at the moral of the story; they might not get the wording but they usually pick up on the point.

One of the main attractions of this particular collection of "Aesop's Fables" is that Sneed picks some stories that not all teachers might recognize, such as "The Tortoise and the Eagle," "The Stag at the Pool," and "The Ox and the Frog." But then it is not like you can really go wrong with any of Aesop's fables. The other main attraction would be Sneed's artwork. Interested in drawing and painting animals since he was a child Sneed decided to revisit Aesop's fables for the possibilities, which for him ran from the sly and sophisticated to the silly. The bit about tricky perspectives and amusing exaggerations is right on target, which makes these watercolors particularly appealing to younger readers. Another fun way of using this book in class would be to have students come up with their own illustrations or find more of these fables to have them illustrate. You can even have them create their own fables.

Rating:
Summary: A delightfully illustrated retelling of 15 of Aesop's fables
Review: We will never run out of illustrated books based on "Aesop's Fables" and this 2003 volume covers fifteen fables retold and illustrated by Brad Sneed (with one that is illustrated but not retold to see if readers are paying attention). In terms of classic fables there is "The Ant and the Grasshopper," "The Fox and the Crow," and "The Crow and the Pitcher." On that last one the moral, "Necessity is the mother of invention," might be more recognizable than the fable itself. Likewise, even young readers might recognize the moral "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and never think that it was associated with "The Caged Bird and the Bat." Of course, half the fun with teachers using Aesop's fables in class is having the kids take a guess at the moral of the story; they might not get the wording but they usually pick up on the point.

One of the main attractions of this particular collection of "Aesop's Fables" is that Sneed picks some stories that not all teachers might recognize, such as "The Tortoise and the Eagle," "The Stag at the Pool," and "The Ox and the Frog." But then it is not like you can really go wrong with any of Aesop's fables. The other main attraction would be Sneed's artwork. Interested in drawing and painting animals since he was a child Sneed decided to revisit Aesop's fables for the possibilities, which for him ran from the sly and sophisticated to the silly. The bit about tricky perspectives and amusing exaggerations is right on target, which makes these watercolors particularly appealing to younger readers. Another fun way of using this book in class would be to have students come up with their own illustrations or find more of these fables to have them illustrate. You can even have them create their own fables.