Almost everyone has heard some of Aesop's fables, especially the one about the tortoise and the hare and the race. This book consisted of so many of Aesop's fables, and most of them I have never heard before. Each fable is on one page, and on the opposite page, the illustrator made the images by sewing fabric pieces together. At the end of each fable, the lesson the reader is supposed to get from the fable is in bold to make sure the point comes across to the reader. Reading this book full of fables to a group of students would be so much fun because kids come up with the funniest and unique ideas when they hear stories. It would be an opportunity to teach them a life lesson, and to get their perspective on the morals of each fable. ( )

The book is a collection of Aesop’s fables. The collection provides a small story for each of the fables then at the end it gives the lesson of the fable written out clearly. It would be great to work through with students and teach the morals of the stories. ( )

Fables from Aesop is a picture book that contains multiple fables from the Greek slave Aesop. Aesop utilizes animals as the main characters for his stories; each with their own unique tale and moral to tell. There are famous tales in this book such as: The Tortoise and The Hare, The Lion and the Mouse, and Monkey See, Monkey Do. The structure of this book is laid out in a predictable fashion. Each fable contains a colored and bolded title at the top, the story in the middle, and the accompanying lesson that should be learned from the story at the bottom. This book is great because it features a variety of different animals and stories for children to be engrossed in. The stylistic writing of this book is purposely written with expression and seeks to engage children with the amount of dialogue and voice. A good follow up activity could be to let children write about their favorite story and why it is their favorite. To go deeper, children can create an alternate scenario to a particular tale and teach a different moral lesson. ( )

I really loved this book, it was so much better than I expected. This book is full of old fables that the author has brought back with new twist. My favorite version that the author includes is "The Lion and the Mouse." The way the author combines many fables in one book was also something I liked because I could pick one story a day to read to my class while still using the same author to talk about. ( )

Fables from Aesop by Tom Lynch

Illustrated with bright, fabric-collage art, this collection presents thirteen classic fables that are commonly attributed to Aesop. The front dust-jacket flap maintains that this is a "Fables from Aesop for the twenty-first century," and there is no doubt that Tom Lynch's language and visuals feel very contemporary. Many of the fables have been renamed - A Lesson for a Foolish Crow, rather than the more traditional The Fox and the Crow, and so on. Here the reader will encounter:

The Tortoise and the Hare, in which the slow tortoise triumphs over the speedy hare, thanks to his persistence.

A Lesson for a Foolish Crow, also known (as mentioned above) as The Fox and the Crow, in which a clever fox manages to trick a crow into giving him her piece of cheese.

Monkey See, Monkey Do (The Monkey And The Fishermen), in which a silly monkey learns that casting nets is more difficult than it seems.

The Suffering Fox (The Hedgehog, the Fox and the Ticks), in which a fox refuses the assistance of the hedgehog, convinced that ridding herself of one trouble would only bring another one.

A Lesson Learned Too Late (The Caged Bird and the Bat), in which a caged songbird sings only at night, having learned too late not to attract attention to herself.

The Unwelcome Guest (Zeus and the Snake), in which Zeus refuses the wedding gift offered by the snake, demonstrating that the favor of the wicked should be shunned. This one always make me feel rather sad - one more species demonized by humans...

A Time for Patience (The Too-Fat Fox), in which a fox finds the shepherd's lunch hidden in a tree, and gobbles it down, only to discover that he has become so fat he cannot get out of the tree.

The Gentle Art of Persuasion (The Wind and the Sun), in which the sun demonstrates that persuasion can be more effective than brute force...

The Risky Visit (The Old Lion and the Fox), in which a fox is not fooled at an old lion's pretense of illness, avoiding the trap that caught so many of the other animals.

The Fox and the Thirsty Goat (The Fox and the Goat), in which a cunning fox frees himself of a well by convincing a goat to jump in.

The Lion and the Mouse, in which a lion learns that no act of kindness is ever forgotten, when he spares the life of a tiny mouse.

The Peacock and the Sparrow, in which the peacock's magnificent plumage proves inferior to the humble sparrow's ability to fly.

The Fox and His Shadow, in which a fox is so impressed by his own shadow, that he forgets to watch out for the hungry lion.

These fables are well told, and although the changed names and more contemporary language is not really to my taste, I think that Lynch's collection will be accessible to younger readers. The fabric-collage art doesn't appeal to me, but again, I think that it might hold the attention of young story-hour listeners. All in all, this is a worthwhile adaptation, even if it will never rank among my favorites. ( )