| Title | : | Aesops Fables |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1587170000 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781587170003 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 96 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2000 |
Aesops Fables Reviews
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This has to be one of my favorite anthologies of Aesop's fables. I love Pinkney's cute and colorful illustrations, especially his mice. I was unfamiliar with some of the fables, though I recognized all of the "morals." My favorite Aesop fable will always be Androcles and the lion. I read these aloud to my cats, and we all enjoyed them. Highly recommended as an introduction to the fables.
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Aesop's Fables could sometimes get dark, but still provided valuable lessons for children and could provoke some thoughtful discussions. Many of the stories weren't actually from Aesop, but his name has become almost universally familiar, at least in the Western world, and this book is a very nice collection of many of the Aesopica, accompanied by beautiful illustrations by an illustrator who has excelled at providing illustrations for a good number of children's books. Though this is a children's book, it's still a good read for adults so I recommend it for all ages.
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My Aesop reading project continues apace, with this, my ninth collection of fables. Retold and illustrated by the award-winning Jerry Pinkney, whose work has been given the Caldecott Honor five times, this Aesop's Fables presents sixty-one of the classic morality tales, as well as a brief introduction, in which the author lays out his own relationship with the subject matter.
Here the reader will encounter many old favorites, from The Grasshopper and the Ants to The Fox and the Grapes. Here too the reader will discover some lesser-known selections, from The Gardener and the Dog to The Boy and the Almonds. Retold in a contemporary idiom that never feels forced, Pinkney's adaptation feels simultaneously fresh and familiar.
The artwork is deliciously expressive - Pinkney's faces, whether human or animal, show great emotional range, and I appreciated his multicultural approach, in depicting people of diverse racial backgrounds. While I feel very strongly that the cultural identity of any work of folklore should be respected, many of these fables are universal, and an Asian fisherman, African-American milkmaid, European farmer, all have their place in Aesop.
That said, I did wonder a little at Mr. Pinkney's choice, in King Log and King Stork (also known as The Frogs Who Desired a King), to substitute "the sun" for Zeus. Where there is a specifically Greek context to the fables, I think it should be retained, but this is a minor quibble, and did not effect my enjoyment of this otherwise excellent collection. -
87 pages. Great re-telling of many tales I have heard/read as a child. There are also many stories I did not know. Well-written and engaging. The illustrations are watercolor and outstanding. This is a work of art. Loved it. I will enjoy reading these to my students soon. Highly recommended Grades 2-5.
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Do you remember "The Goose and the Golden Eggs" story? This book has the fable in it! "Aesop's Fables" is a collection of sixty fables by Aesop retold by the Caldecott honor winner author, Jerry Pinkney. The book is most formal, with the text placed opposite of the illustrations on the adjacent page. The artistic media in this book is pencil and watercolor. This book would be perfect in the classroom and integrating it into lessons, and to read for enjoyment! Get this book while you can!
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Title: Aesop’s Fables
Author: Jerry Pinkney
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Genre: Fables
Theme(s): Life morals and virtues
Opening line/sentence: “The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: Everyday a poor shepherd sent his son to take their few sheep out to the pasture.”
Brief Book Summary: This collection of familiar and unfamiliar fables is brilliantly brought together in this colorful and beautifully illustrated book. Jerry Pinkney uses his unique artistic style to bring the fables to life for the readers.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Horn Book: Here is the quintessential Aesop, lovingly retold in a contemporary yet timeless style embellished with a profusion of glorious illustrations. The text, sixty-one fables in all, begs to be read aloud; the pictures transport the audience into a different world, magical yet firmly grounded in reality. The whole is an exemplary model of bookmaking--and one destined to become a favorite version of these tales.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: The New York Times: The fables that include people do not refer to the ancient world but instead are set in a rural 19th-century America. It is familiar from much of Pinkney's other work, like the Caldecott Honor Books ''John Henry'' and ''Mirandy and Brother Wind,'' which come from the African-American tradition. But the stories are universal and most of them involve animals, and Pinkney is very good at capturing animals and giving them personality. Pinkney's ''Aesop'' is a visual treat. These are beautiful illustrations, combining pencil, colored pencil and watercolor with a light-as-air touch. There are superb traipsing mice and musical grasshoppers. Fox's eyes sparkle, fur is furry and the animal anatomy is near perfect. The book is handsomely designed, in a large format, and fine paper sets off the illustrations to their best advantage.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviewers gave high praise to this book and the illustrations that accompany the 61 fables included in this book. The reviewers mentioned how the tales had a nice variety to them and they kept their attention while reading the book. I agree with the reviewers on their reviews and would definitely read some of these tales aloud to my students.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The fact that this book is a collection of fables makes the book so much more inviting. While a reader may not read all the fables in one sitting, they can sit and read a few fables at a time and get a full reading experience. The collection also offers a variety of fables so the reader will never be bored when picking this book up.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I definitely would not read this book in its entirety to a group of students. I would read this book occasionally throughout the year to mix up the typical books that the students and I would read throughout the year. It would also be used for enjoyment and to relax after a long day of schoolwork! -
Fable
Pinkney, Jerry. Aesop’s Fables. (2000).
Pinkney has done a marvelous job of re-telling Aesop’s fables, and gives credit in the introduction to the original Aesop stories that he heard growing up, even providing a brief history of Aesop’s life. In his spectacularly illustrated retelling of the ancient lessons, Pinkney brings to life the stories by setting them in 1800’s rural America. The volume contains 60 of Aesop’s fables, each simply and humorously retold. Most are just a few paragraphs long, and at the end all include a one sentence lesson explicitly letting readers know the universal moral to be learned from the fable. For example, in “The Gardner and His Dog” three short paragraphs tell us of a dog that falls into a well. When his owner tries to rescue him, the dog snaps at his fingers, so the gardener leaves him and tells him to find his own way out. At the end Pinkney states the moral: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
Most of the tales involve a speaking animal or element, like the wind and the sun in “The North Wind and the Sun,” that stand for an aspect of human nature: pride, innocence, kindness, etc. In addition, most are also accompanied by realistic watercolor and pencil images that are full of emotional expression and support the text. The fine details on the animals, especially the body and facial expressions are amazing. The eyes and musculature in so many of the illustrations convey much of the meaning outlined in the text, helping young readers comprehend what may be complex and abstract messages. It should be noted, that although humans rarely make an appearance in the fables, when they do, Pinkney seems to go out of his way to depict a diverse cast of people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities. This book would be a great way to share with children the old fables and the wisdom they carry. Younger children and developing readers, especially, will appreciate the one-sentence morals that may not be so easily gathered from the text. In addition, many will appreciate the delightful illustrations. However, some younger readers might prefer reading single fables where the illustrations do more of the storytelling.
Target audience: ages 5-10 -
This book includes 60 of Aesop's Fables and illustrations done in pencil, colored pencils, and water colors. The classic tale about the boy who cried wolf is told very well in this book because it was written in a classic Aesop style. That is, it was written in a brief passage to keep a child's short attention, and the moral of the lesson was written at the bottom of the page: "No one believes a liar". "The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf" is a story about a young shepherd boy whose father tells him to watch over their herd of sheep and to look out for any wolves that may come and try to attack the sheep. The father gives his son, the shepherd boy, specific directions on what to do in case a wolf comes. He is to shout as loudly as he can so that all of the villagers can come to chase the wolf away. However, the shepherd boy grows unbelievably bored with his responsibility of watching over the sheep so takes it upon himself to shout out "WOLF!" as loudly as he could, and when all of the villagers came, he began laughing and telling them that there was no wolf. He played the trick again the next day, and the villagers left very upset. Then, the following day, when the shepherd boy was taking the sheep into the meadow he notices a shadow in the shape of a wolf lurking around the trees, and then begins to hear growling, so he immediately shouts "WOLF!", but because of the trickery that he played on the villagers the two days before nobody came to his rescue and a sheep was eaten. Moral of the story, no one believes a liar.
This book would work well in a lesson on character development and the negative effects of lying, and can be used for all grade levels (k-12). The theme of this story is about honesty, trickery, and boredom. Students could do a quick writing activity, or have a class discussion on what the shepherd boy could have done to stop from being bored besides playing the trick on the villagers. -
I really liked this book I loved the morals of the story and how each one had a lesson. There was with lots of animals wolves, mice, cats, grasshoppers frogs, insets, and even people. Each one has its personal plot and storyline along with a lot of fun and entertaining stories for everyone! I also like it because it has good life lessons and some silly stories to everyone could love. I love animals so this is a good book for me and it keeps me wondering what the next story will be about. 5/5 stars:) I would definitely would recommend it so people even my age that like what I like.
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The best Aesop compilation we've read so far, illustrations were FAB.... looking for another awesome one, if anyone has any recommendations...
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El libro, como nos adelanta la sinopsis, nos trae sesenta fábulas de Esopo para potenciar valores como la amistad, el compañerismo, la confianza, la constancia, el criterio propio, la generosidad, la honradez, la imaginación, la justicia, la responsabilidad y la solidaridad, en niños/as a partir de los 9 años.
Éste me pareció precioso, no solo por las ilustraciones tan bonitas que acompañan a las fábulas, sino también, por la moraleja que podemos aprender con cada una de ellas. Algunas las conocía porque las he escuchado desde pequeña, pero otras fueron totalmente nuevas para mí.
En cuanto al uso del libro, destacar que al tener tal cantidad de fábulas se pueden enseñar o trabajar multitud de situaciones y valores. Además, al final de éste nos encontraremos actividades para fábulas concretas y otras que se han unificado en "historias de personas y animales" y otras en "temas y situaciones" para sacarle el máximo partido.
En definitiva, si les gustan las fábulas acompañadas por moralejas, se los recomiendo muchísimo porque los valores que trasmiten son sumamente importantes. -
I enjoyed Jerry Pinkney's illustrations, although some of them were just a small square with the story. I don't have any other Aesop's Fables retellings to compare this one to, but it was very readable and had a nice variety of stories in it. Some of them are funny, some tragic - my 4-year-old didn't seem too disturbed by any of the sad ones. The morals aren't drawn out, just a simple sentence at the end of the story.
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We kept this on our kitchen table and read a fable or two each week. It took us almost a year to complete and the kids and I feeling pretty accomplished. This includes the classics and some new favorites. There are some that were a little dark and too much for my yellow bellied babies. With its sweet illustrations and classic morals, this book is a keeper.
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As suggested in
Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers -
Classic stories that I don't remember being a large part of my childhood. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to make them a part of this child's and to get to read them now. It's never too late for a good story.
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The illustrations were nice. Aesop's fables are short and easy to understand. Sometimes the moral seems a bit out of left field, but they are generally good morals with entertaining stories. They can be a bit dark for younger listeners, but they teach the lesson!
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k-4
Fantasy
Aesop's fables is a great book to keep in the classroom that you as a teacher can pull from anytime. Some fables being familiar and other could be brand new to the students. The illustrations in this book are incredible. -
4.5 stars rounded up. I’ve always enjoyed short fables. These stories from 25 centuries ago give so much insight into humanity.
Jerry Pinkney’s collection is lightened a little for children. His illustrations are, as always, beautiful. -
Thr Aesop you know with the gorgeous illustrations of Jerry Pinkney.
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A delightful Aesop's Fables made better by Jerry Pinkney's wonderful illustrations.
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Aesop's Fables by Jerry Pinkney
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... -
I loved sharing these with my students. 🥰
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To view an annotated bibliography of this title written for EDLI200, expand the spoiler entry below:
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Beautiful, full-color illustrations (many full-page) by Caldecott Honor-winner Jerry Pinkney are the primary attraction to this edition of Aesop's classic fables, featuring many of the best-known as well as others which are less familiar. A welcome addition to any children's library collection."
CIP: "A collection of nearly sixty fables from Aesop, including such familiar ones as 'The Grasshopper and the Ants,' 'The North Wind and the Sun,' 'Androcles and the Lion,' 'The Troublesome Dog,' and 'The Fox and the Stork.'"
SLJ: "K-Gr 4-A visually appealing selection of 61 fables that mixes the well known ("The Fox and the Grapes," "The Tortoise and the Hare") with some that have been nearly forgotten ("The Mermaid and the Woodcutter"). In tone and format, this book is reminiscent of early 20th-century Aesop collections for children. Like Arthur Rackham and Milo Winter before him, Pinkney accompanies the stories with a blend of full-page paintings and smaller illustrations. While the narrative style occasionally gets in the way of sharing aloud and its tone is sometimes at odds with the more relaxed tone of the art, this handsome title is still one of the best of the current crop."
Kirkus: "Pinkney's watercolors display both masterful draftsmanship and an uncommonly keen eye for natural detail. In these oversized portraits, every tuft, feather, and whisker on his animals look right and real—as do the hats and scarves that many of them sport, their expressive body language, and the clever or foolish looks on the faces of his human characters. Though some of the morals are moot ("Notoriety is not fame") or may need explaining to younger readers ("Pride goes before a fall"), the stories themselves are timelessly clear and pithy, retold in formal, but never stiff, prose. Whether Aesop is a complete stranger to them or an old friend, young readers will be enthralled by this eye-opening, and jaw-dropping, achievement. A masterpiece."
