Fables from Aesop (Hardcover)

by Aesop (Author), Tom Lynch (Author) "One day a Hare was teasing a Tortoise for being so slow on his feet..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Goat

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Using fabric collages, debut author/ artist Lynch stitches together a smorgasbord of fables into a colorful picture book quilt. He's rounded up a baker's dozen of the parables and presents them in a format that's short and sweetAone per double-spreadAeach ending with "So remember!" and a pithy moral. The succinct retellings and large type make them appropriate for an audience just beginning to read on their own. Many of the familiar fables contain easy-to-follow lessons, such as the fox and the thirsty goat ("Look before you leap"). However, the lessons of lesser-known parables may elude younger readersAsuch as the tale of Zeus refusing a wedding gift from a snake ("Never accept the offerings of a villain," when nothing in the tale suggests the snake's evil intentions) or the tale of a caged songbird and a bat ("Regrets and precautions are useless after misfortune has come"). Still, the sprightly needlework (the embroidery on the peacock is stunning) enhances each scene and may well inspire readers to meet the challenge of a few more sophisticated tales. The artwork, rendered in bright scraps of fabric, maintains a homespun feel in keeping with the fables' humble origins, and preschoolers will especially enjoy the assorted animal characters who tumble across the pages. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-The lessons are boldly fresh, yet old as time, in this baker's dozen of stories set in rough-hewn appliqu scenes. The ubiquitous tortoise and hare open the assembly of well-known and less familiar tales. Other old favorites include the competition between the Sun and the North Wind, the mouse that rescues the lion, and the fox that flatters the crow into dropping its bit of cheese. The narrative is generally competent, faithful to the spare language usually associated with Aesop. Occasionally Lynch incorporates contemporary vernacular that seems a bit out of sync with other more formal and reserved passages. "'Hold on there,' said the Tortoise. 'I'll bet if we had a race I would win!' 'You've got to be kidding!' laughed the Hare. 'Okay slowpoke, let's go!'" Occasionally the required morals are a bit ponderous: "So remember! Regrets and precautions are useless after misfortune has come." The prose waivers, but the homely creatures stitched in deep-hued fabrics are consistently humorous and appealing. The crude shapes and simple stitches are a nice blend of childlike and more sophisticated artistry. Readers already familiar with the fables and those meeting them for the first time will enjoy this striking presentation.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (October 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670889482
• ISBN-13: 978-0670889488
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,614,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #60 in

  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Aesop

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful rendition of classic tales., March 12, 2001

By A Customer

When it comes to childrens' books, sometimes the illustration is as important as the text. The illustrations in this book are derived from hand-stitched textile pieces - colorful and imaginitive. Sketches for the textile works are printed on the endpapers. Each page has one of Aesop's fables told briefly enough for a small child to digest, and in simple language that is easy to read out loud. There are many versions of Aesop, of course. I was looking for one that would make these old moral tales palatable for kindergarten and first graders, and this is the one.