The Aesop for Children (Aesop's Fables for Children)

By Aesop

The history of the fable likely does not originate with Aesop; however it is with him that we associate the fable’s most ancient of known origins. Little is actually known of the life of Aesop. According to the historical accounts of Herodotus, Aristotle, and Plutarch, he was a slave from the Greek island of Samos who lived between 620 and 564 BC. Described as a strikingly ugly man he is said to have secured his freedom through his cleverness. Known for his wit, Aesop would become employed as an advisor by kings and city-states. The simplicity of the fable cannot be overstated. The short narrative form and the use of animals to personifying particular human characteristics makes the fable a particularly useful form of instruction for imparting bits of wisdom to children. Dozens of fables have been attributed to Aesop, however given their sometimes conflicting moral lessons, the attribution of some fables to Aesop is considered by certain scholars as doubtful. Collected together here are some of the most famous examples of Aesop’s fables. This edition is illustrated by Milo Winter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Apr 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781420957570

Aesop

While the true lifetime of Aesop has not been confirmed, various historical and archeological artifacts point to him having lived during the periods of 620-560 BCE. Aesop was a Greek slave who was treated brutally for the dark appearance of his skin. Aesop’s stories, which have long survived his life, were not originally his. The fables came from a multitude of sources, all passed down orally and safeguarded by Aesop himself. Many of Aesop’s anthropomorphic tales have become celebrated children’s bedtime stories, rightly securing themselves in the modern storytelling canon.

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The Aesop for Children (Aesop’s Fables for Children)

By Aesop

Illustrated by Milo Winter

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5756-3

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5757-0

This edition copyright © 2018. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of an illustration by Milo Winter from The Aesop for Children, first published in 1919 by Rand McNally & Co., Chicago.

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CONTENTS

The Wolf and the Kid

The Tortoise and the Ducks

The Young Crab and His Mother

The Frogs and the Ox

The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox

Belling the Cat

The Eagle and the Jackdaw

The Boy and the Filberts

Hercules and the Wagoner

The Kid and the Wolf

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

The Fox and the Grapes

The Bundle of Sticks

The Wolf and the Crane

The Ass and His Driver

The Oxen and the Wheels

The Lion and the Mouse

The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf

The Gnat and the Bull

The Plane Tree

The Farmer and the Stork

The Sheep and the Pig

The Travelers and the Purse

The Lion and the Ass

The Frogs Who Wished for a King

The Owl and the Grasshopper

The Wolf and His Shadow

The Oak and the Reeds

The Rat and the Elephant

The Boys and the Frogs

The Crow and the Pitcher

The Ants and the Grasshopper

The Ass Carrying the Image

A Raven and a Swan

The Two Goats

The Ass and the Load of Salt

The Lion and the Gnat

The Leap at Rhodes

The Cock and the Jewel

The Monkey and the Camel

The Wild Boar and the Fox

The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion

The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat

The Lion, the Bear and the Fox

The Wolf and the Lamb

The Wolf and the Sheep

The Hares and the Frogs

The Fox and the Stork

The Travelers and the Sea

The Wolf and the Lion

The Stag and His Reflection

The Peacock

The Mice and the Weasels

The Wolf and the Lean Dog

The Fox and the Lion

The Lion and the Ass

The Dog and His Master’s Dinner

The Vain Jackdaw and His Borrowed Feathers

The Monkey and the Dolphin

The Wolf and the Ass

The Monkey and the Cat

The Dogs and the Fox

The Dogs and the Hides

The Rabbit, the Weasel, and the Cat

The Bear and the Bees

The Fox and the Leopard

The Heron

The Cock and the Fox

The Dog in the Manger

The Wolf and the Goat

The Ass and the Grasshoppers

The Mule

The Fox and the Goat

The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse

The Wolf and the Shepherd

The Peacock and the Crane

The Farmer and the Cranes

The Farmer and His Sons

The Two Pots

The Goose and the Golden Egg

The Fighting Bulls and the Frog

The Mouse and the Weasel

The Farmer and the Snake

The Sick Stag

The Goatherd and the Wild Goats

The Spendthrift and the Swallow

The Cat and the Birds

The Dog and the Oyster

The Astrologer

Three Bullocks and a Lion

Mercury and the Woodman

The Frog and the Mouse

The Fox and the Crab

The Serpent and the Eagle

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

The Bull and the Goat

The Eagle and the Beetle

The Old Lion and the Fox

The Man and the Lion

The Ass and the Lap Dog

The Milkmaid and Her Pail

The Wolf and the Shepherd

The Goatherd and the Goat

The Miser

The Wolf and the House Dog

The Fox and the Hedgehog

The Bat and the Weasels

The Quack Toad

The Fox Without a Tail

The Mischievous Dog

The Rose and the Butterfly

The Cat and the Fox

The Boy and the Nettle

The Old Lion

The Fox and the Pheasants

Two Travelers and a Bear

The Porcupine and the Snakes

The Fox and the Monkey

The Mother and the Wolf

The Flies and the Honey

The Eagle and the Kite

The Stag, the Sheep, and the Wolf

The Animals and the Plague

The Shepherd and the Lion

The Dog and his Reflection

The Hare and the Tortoise

The Bees and Wasps, and the Hornet

The Lark and Her Young Ones

The Cat and the Old Rat

The Fox and the Crow

The Ass and His Shadow

The Miller, His Son, and the Ass

The Ant and the Dove

The Man and the Satyr

The Wolf, the Kid, and the Goat

The Swallow and the Crow

Jupiter and the Monkey

The Lion, the Ass, and the Fox

The Lion’s Share

The Mole and His Mother

The North Wind and the Sun

The Hare and His Ears

The Wolves and the Sheep

The Cock and the Fox

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin

The Fisherman and the Little Fish

The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle

NOTE TO THE ILLUSTRATIONS

The illustrations in this edition originally appeared in color in the 1919 edition published by Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. The illustrations are reproduced here in their entirety, in grayscale for the paperback edition, and in color for the electronic edition.

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THE WOLF AND THE KID

The Wolf and the Kid

There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a grown-up Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So one evening when the flock started home from the pasture and his mother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept right on nibbling the tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the flock was gone.

He was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping over the ground. A chilly little wind came creeping with them making scary noises in the grass. The Kid shivered as he thought of the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the field, bleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees, there was the Wolf!

The Kid knew there was little hope for him.

Please, Mr. Wolf, he said trembling, I know you are going to eat me. But first please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and be merry as long as I can.

The Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he struck up a merry tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.

Meanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still evening air the Wolf’s piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. They recognized the song the Wolf sings before a feast, and in a moment they were racing back to the pasture. The Wolf’s song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with the Dogs at his heels, he called himself a fool for turning piper to please a Kid, when he should have stuck to his butcher’s trade.

Do not let anything turn you from your purpose.

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The Tortoise and the Ducks

The Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot leave home. They say that Jupiter punished him so, because he was such a lazy stay-at-home that he would not go to Jupiter’s wedding, even when especially invited.

After many years, Tortoise began to wish he had gone to that wedding. When he saw how gaily the birds flew about and how the Hare and the Chipmunk and all the other animals ran nimbly by, always eager to see everything there was to be seen, the Tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly drag him along.

One day he met a pair of Ducks and told them all his trouble.

We can help you to see the world, said the Ducks. "Take hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will