I've always liked Aesop's fables. I picked this up in a library book sale and was reading it as a potential children's book to pass on to my niece. This is actually not a children's version of the tales. It goes a bit into the history of Aesop, who may or may not have been an actual person, and the evolution and collection of the tales through, well, five centuries. The tales and illustrations are also sampled from five centuries, so the language is sometimes archaic and the tales written variable in very moralistic and preachy parables, strained poetry, or clever tales of life lessons. It had all the classics, like "The Fox and the Grapes", but also many I had never heard of, like "The Camel and the Driftwood" with the moral that things at a distance may be strange but normal when they are closer or you get to know them. It was a worthwhile read, but I think I like the versions with the catchy sayings the best. :)
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Five Centuries of Illustrated Fables
I've always liked Aesop's fables. I picked this up in a library book sale and was reading it as a potential children's book to pass on to my niece. This is actually not a children's version of the tales. It goes a bit into the history of Aesop, who may or may not have been an actual person, and the evolution and collection of the tales through, well, five centuries. The tales and illustrations are also sampled from five centuries, so the language is sometimes archaic and the tales written variable in very moralistic and preachy parables, strained poetry, or clever tales of life lessons. It had all the classics, like "The Fox and the Grapes", but also many I had never heard of, like "The Camel and the Driftwood" with the moral that things at a distance may be strange but normal when they are closer or you get to know them. It was a worthwhile read, but I think I like the versions with the catchy sayings the best. :)
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