Customer Reviews

Aesop's Fables (Apple Classics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a nice little book, with all of Aesop's fables laid out in clear language. Most of the stories have an accompanying picture, but I can't say that the illustrations impressed me much. Some are very good, and others are not so good; while the artist is the same, there is no central unifying theme that ties the artwork together; in some of them, animals are anthropomorphized, while in others they are not. Each fable ends with the moral in italics, encouraging the reader to pause and give a moment's thought to the story that has just been read. The slimness of the volume might be appealing to young readers who would be intimidated by something more weighty.

In this book there are many tales that are retold by Ann McGovern. They are used to teach morals, especially to children. Some fables that are in the book are, "The Fox and the Grapes", "The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf", and "The Goose with the Golden Eggs." The morals that are portrayed in these fables have very good lessons that teach kids what not to do in the future while they are growing up. I would recommend this book to a friend and to young readers (children). I would also recommend the books, "The Runaways" and "A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose, and Thoughts for the Mind, Body, and Soul."

It is difficult to overstate the amount of wisdom present in the famous tales by the ancient Greek Aesop. There are so many lessons of life that they should be required reading for all children. I read them to my daughter many times once I felt that she was old enough to understand. This collection is illustrated, although only tan, black and the background white were used. This reduces the quality of the book somewhat, as so many other collections of Aesop's fables use higher quality color illustrations. Nevertheless, the tales remain what they are, lessons about life and the foibles of humans that all people should learn.

I enjoy using this book with my fourth grade students. Everyone has the moral at the bottom of the page covered. After one student reads the story, all guess the moral. It leads to an understanding of universal themes in literature, while instilling some important values.

ISBN 0590438808 - Aesop's fables really do deserve the "Classics" title - these stories have been around for so long and still remain accurate, educational and informative. Perhaps this is due to the use of animals, whose behaviors don't hinge upon technology, rather than people.

Short stories, each highlighting a lesson, which is printed in italics (in case you might miss it otherwise!). Adults might be surprised to find some lessons attributed to Aesop - things you've heard all your life and never thought about, such as "birds of a feather flock together". Younger kids might need a little help to understand some messages, but most are clear and simple. McGovern did a nice job with the re-telling of these gems. The illustrations don't come even close to living up to the colorful cover - maybe this was to reflect the timelessness of the stories, because a good number of the pictures are similar to very old artworks found in caves and archaeological digs. That's just a guess, though, and the illustrations are the reason I'm taking away one star.

A nice, super quick read for all ages, intended for the 8-12 set, and a must-read in one format or another. No one should go through their whole life without reading Aesop ONCE!

- AnnaLovesBooks