Book Review
Title of Book: Aesop’s Fables
Author’s Name: Aesop
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd, London 1996
This is a very interesting compilation of fables of Aesop who lived between 620–560 BC. If you are looking for some of the best advice on diverse topics, you will find a moral framework in all the fables—all 212 of them. But the most significant collection of his fables to appear in English was printed by Caxton in 1484. This Penguin edition was selected and adapted by Jack Zipes.
What is so fascinating about these fables? Well let’s say they are brief offerings of good wisdom and advice—and over the centuries have stood the test of time—into the 21st century!
I have often wondered though, how many people realise that some statements they use on occasions have come from Aesop’s Fables? Take this for instance: “One good turn deserves another.” I would encourage teachers in primary school especially, to go back to Aesop’s Fables. It's replete with moral rearmament–good inspirational stuff.
This book is easily browsable—so you can open up at any page and there is conciseness and brevity in the fables. If you prefer, the content pages can lead you into more specific choices: It begins with the ever-popular “The Fox and the Grapes”.
Here is the layout: A famished fox crept into a vineyard where ripe, luscious grapes were draped high upon arbours in a most tempting display. In his effort to win a juicy prize, the fox jumped and sprang many times but failed in all his attempts. When he finally had to admit defeat he retreated and muttered to himself, “Well what does it matter anyway. The grapes are sour.”
Lesson: It is easy to despise what you cannot get.
Expressions such as “sour grapes”, “cry wolf” “be a dog in the manger,” have become shorthand for behaviour that is unwise, unjust or downright deplorable. So, as readers, we can learn from the exploits of the sly fox, the greedy wolf and the foolish a.. But Aesop also wanted to point out the cruelty and vanity of mankind. And I think he achieves it with wit, clarity and wisdom. You will experience throughout this collection—that basically, a fable is a short story with a moral—one in which the characters are mainly animals.
My pick of fables can be found on page 121. It’s the “Lark and Her Young Ones”. It’s about one-and-a-half pages. But it's tiered with three positions, the last being the most appropriate action to be taken. I think the brevity of fables makes them useful for young children. You can’t subject them to lengthy twists and turns in a narrative.
This collection is useful for passing along moral lessons. They will also learn about other cultures; model character traits; appreciate other traditions; explore new ways of seeing the world; and discover a love of stories. The only drawback is there are no illustrations. But the teacher must be able to use the right tenor of voice when reading the fables.
Another collection of stories is those told by Anansi. But we’ll leave that for another time.
