The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School [Paperback]

Candace Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Aesop Elementary School

These contemporary “fables” are instructive, hilarious, and now in paperback!

The fourth graders at Aesop Elementary are, well, unusual. There’s Calvin Tallywong, who wants to go back to kindergarten. But when he actually gets the chance, he’s forced to do the squirrel dance and wear a yellow-school-bus name tag. The moral of his story? Be careful what you wish for. Then there’s Amisha Spelwadi, who can spell wildebeest, no problem. She’s sure she’ll get 100 percent on her spelling test. But when the teacher, Mr. Jupiter, asks the class to spell cat, all Amisha can come up with is kat. The moral this time? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Here’s a collection of contemporary fables about a hilariously rambunctious group of kids and their amazing teacher that is sure to delight students and teachers alike!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A wish comes true for the principal of Aesop Elementary School when Mr. Jupiter arrives to take over a class with a reputation. With his vast experience and beautiful brown eyes, he charms everyone, including the librarian. Each of the short chapters, good for reluctant readers, describes familiar scenarios: lunchroom antics, name-calling, learning the Dewey Decimal system, and the all-important standardized-testing month. The premise is intriguing even as pieces of the action seems forced; the Aesop-like morals are a curious mix of aphorisms, some in familiar form and others recast to fit the plot. There is plenty of humor here; some of it, however, comes from stereotypical characters, both students and staff. Mr. Jupiter's first appearance promises a fantasy, but except for one other episode of wish fulfillment, this is, rather, exaggeration for the sake of humor. Fun for some, but other readers may play hooky before the year is over. Isaacs, Kathleen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Candace Fleming is the prolific author of many critically acclaimed, bestselling books for children, including the picture books Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! (an ALA Notable Book and four starred reviews), and Boxes for Katie (a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2003); the nonfiction titles Our Eleanor (an ALA Notable Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and three starred reviews) and Ben Franklin's Almanac (an ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, James Madison Honor Book, and three starred reviews). She lives in Mt. Prospect, Illinois.


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Yearling; Reprint edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440422299
• ISBN-13: 978-0440422297
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Other

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked, awesome story, April 3, 2008

By 

Vernie Heeney "4th grade teacher at Davis Ele... (Vernal, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School (Hardcover)

"It was hysterical, hilarious, as well as had good morals. It taught us good things and funny things that we enjoyed very much." These are the comments of my fourth graders that I just read the book to. They thought it was a great book and are wondering if there is a sequel. If so, they want to read it! Candace Fleming is a great author that engaged my students from the first chapter.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dream teacher meets nightmare fourth-grade class, September 7, 2007

By 

J. Mulkey "eclectic reader" (Baton Rouge, La. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School (Hardcover)

I bought this with my grandaughter in mind, and I loved reading it myself! The teacher who tackles the "class nobody wants" is upbeat, off-beat, and more than equal to the challenge. His interactions with his students are both hilarious and thought-provoking. I recommend this to readers of all ages who enjoy humor mixed with "a moral".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definate reading resource, September 17, 2008

By 

jfs (Stanton, KY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School (Hardcover)

These fabled fourth graders at Aesop Elementary School have a lot to learn morally. I looked forward to reading each chapter to see what these uncanny students were going to get themselves into and what moral was to be learned, such as "It is wise to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow." or "Appearances aren't everything." The chapter titles sometimes related to the real "Aesop's Fables", such as, The Boy Who Cried Wolf Monitor. The characters made me chuckle, such as Miss Paige Turner (librarian), Hamilton, Ham for short, Samich (enjoys food), Victoria Sovaine (pretty), Stanford Binet (smart), and Mrs. Playwright (drama teacher). This is a chapter book that I think boys would enjoy because it briefly mentions yucky stuff like "cooties" and "poop"(Hey, as long as they are reading!). I loved it. It will be available in my classroom for character building and enjoyment reading.