Aesop's Fables

By Aesop

Step into the world of timeless wisdom and moral lessons with Aesop's Fables. This collection of enchanting tales has captivated readers for centuries, offering valuable insights through its animal characters and their relatable stories. Delve into the ageless wisdom of Aesop and discover the enduring power of his fables.

A treasure trove of moral lessons and entertaining stories

Charming illustrations

Captivating narratives that have stood the test of time

Ideal for readers of all ages

Offers valuable life lessons on topics such as honesty, kindness, and perseverance

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9789358562989

Aesop

Although the three hundred fables in his famous collection are attributed to Aesop, and his name is synonymous with the form, it seems unlikely he was in fact anything more than a legendary figure. While some historical accounts maintain he was a slave with a prodigious talent for story-telling who lived during the sixth century B.C., many believe it unlikely that this whole stock of fables can be attributed to one individual. What does seem clear though is that the fables began their life being orally transmitted before being put down in writing.

Book preview

The Fox and the Grapes

A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.

The Goose that Laid

the Golden Eggs

A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

Much wants more and loses all.

The Cat and the Mice

There was once a house that was overrun with Mice. A Cat heard of this, and said to herself, That’s the place for me, and off she went and took up her quarters in the house, and caught the Mice one by one and ate them. At last the Mice could stand it no longer, and they determined to take to their holes and stay there. That’s awkward, said the Cat to herself: the only thing to do is to coax them out by a trick. So she considered a while, and then climbed up the wall and let herself hang down by her hind legs from a peg, and pretended to be dead. By and by a Mouse peeped out and saw the Cat hanging there. Aha! it cried, you’re very clever, madam, no doubt: but you may turn yourself into a bag of meal hanging there, if you like, yet you won’t catch us coming anywhere near you.

If you are wise you won’t be deceived by the innocent airs of those whom you have once found to be dangerous.

The Mischievous Dog

There was once a Dog who used to snap at people and bite them without any provocation, and who was a great nuisance to everyone who came to his master’s house. So his master fastened a bell round his neck to warn people of his presence. The Dog was very proud of the bell, and strutted about tinkling it with immense satisfaction. But an old dog came up to him and said, The fewer airs you give yourself the better, my friend. You don’t think, do you, that your bell was given to you as a reward of merit? On the contrary, it is a badge of disgrace.

Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.

The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller

There was once a Charcoal-burner who lived and worked by himself. A Fuller, however, happened to come and settle in the same neighbourhood; and the Charcoal-burner, having made his acquaintance and finding he was an agreeable sort of fellow, asked him if he would come and share his house: We shall get to know one another better that way, he said, and, beside, our household expenses will be diminished. The Fuller thanked him, but replied, I couldn’t think of it, sir: why, everything I take such pains to whiten would be blackened in no time by your charcoal.

The Mice in Council

Once upon a time all the Mice met together in Council, and discussed the best means of securing themselves against the attacks of the cat. After several suggestions had been debated, a Mouse of some standing and experience got up and said, I think I have hit upon a plan which will ensure our safety in the future, provided you approve and carry it out. It is that we should fasten a bell round the neck of our enemy the cat, which will by its tinkling warn us of her approach. This proposal was warmly applauded, and it had been already decided to adopt it, when an old Mouse got upon his feet and said, I agree with you all that the plan before us is an admirable one: but may I ask who is going to bell the cat?

The Bat and the Weasels

A Bat fell to the ground and was caught by a Weasel, and was just going to be killed and eaten when it begged to be let go. The Weasel said he couldn’t do that because he was an enemy of all birds on principle. Oh, but, said the Bat, I’m not a bird at all: I’m a mouse. So you are, said the Weasel, now I come to look at you; and he let it go. Some time after this the Bat was caught in just the same way by another Weasel, and, as before, begged for its life. No, said the Weasel, I never let a mouse go by any chance. But I’m not a mouse, said the Bat; I’m a bird. Why, so you are, said the Weasel; and he too let the Bat go.

Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself.

The Dog and the Sow

A Dog and a Sow were arguing and each claimed that its own young ones were finer than those of any other animal. Well, said the Sow at last, mine can see, at any rate, when they come into the world: but yours are born blind.

The Fox and the Crow

A Crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a Fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be Queen of the Birds. The Crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the Fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the Fox, snatching it up, said, "You have a voice, madam, I see: what you want is

Reviews for Aesop's Fables

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hmmmm, can’t say it was riveting reading but I can now tick it off my Classics list. Some I recognized, some were good some not very good.

[witchywoo-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved Aesop’s Fables as a child and I still do!!

[m_mozeleski · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute collection of morality stories/fables collected into this volume. I have read it so many times--as an adult, as a kid, as a teen--and each time I take something different away from it. I love it.In fact, I took a tattoo idea from the Tortise and the Hare fable, and added to it my desire to travel, and voila! Two different ways to travel, but in my case, there isn't necessarily a correct one.

[regoodrich · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aesops's Fables are short and sweet and easy to read for most ages. A number of the stories are very clever, all with a point or moral to be learned in the end. There are quite a few in this book that I have never heard before, many not as creative as the common Aesop's Fables I grew up knowing; however it was fun to read through them.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

short little proverbs usually using animals to tell a morality stories. Some of these proverbs are often spoken but wonder how many know whence they come? Remind me of the Proverbs from the Bible. Rating 3.75

[sfinke5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a great story for young children. It has a very important lesson which is not to lie. The boy "cried wolf" and said there was a wolf when there was not. Then, when there actually was no one believed him. This is important for young children to learn. I really loved this story because of the lesson. I also enjoyed it because it was interesting and made the reader want to keep reading. The story was also great because it was a good length. It was not too long so it was not boring, but it also was not too short. The last thing I liked was that the story was well written. From the writing, I could envision the boy and what was happening in the story. This was a great book!

[anunez1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this chapter book because of the moral messages learned from each short fable and how I could remember a majority of these stories from my own childhood. The moral lessons learned from these stories stem from always telling the truth, the idea that slow and steady will win the race, and to not judge someone by their appearance. As a child I remembered reading a great majority of these and enjoyed being able to reinterpret what was being said. Although the version I read did not contain illustrations, I did enjoy how the words came to life on the page. As one reads these stories, they can be illustrated in the reader's mind. The big idea of this chapter book is to give a recorded source of the oral stories told so as to teach moral lessons to children and adults.

[cbrwn92 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic stories for people of any age. I have had a copy since I was little and it almost always is displayed on one of my shelves. It is full of small tales you have probably heard over and over, but delightfully do not grow old. There were wonderful illustrations as well.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very, very simple anecdotes. Any fables that have been turned into lengthier morality tales such as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" have been beefed up considerably.

[aryadeschain-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the best book of fables in the whole wide world, but it does have its charm and its certainly brings back memories. There are lots of tales that I have heard before when I was a kid, several of them actually quite popular. However, this book goes straight to the point. You know the tale of the Turtle and the Hare, which has already been rewritten by several different authors, even having animated movies about it? Well, this book tells the story in half a page. Which isn't so bad, really. It's actually interesting to read those stories in a short format, with the emphasis on the story's lesson. A nice read for grown-ups, a good thing to give the children something to think about.

[thewallflower-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one better than "Grimm's Fairy Tales" because A) they're all super short, great for reading a teeny bit at a time and B) the language is much more understandable. But like "Grimm's Fairy Tales", the stories get repetitive after a while. They're all moral lessons, and they fall under three categories: evil is its own ruin, be honest and don't lie, don't be vain/greedy/prideful. Consequences of failing to heed lessons A, B, and C will result in you being eaten by a tiger 90% of the time.

[.monkey.-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some were great, some were dull (or even rather mean), and some were in-between. Overall, not super crazy about it, but glad to have read the collection of them.

[dtn620 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first read through of Aesop's Fables in its entirety. Obviously I have encountered many of these fables before individually but was somewhat surprised by how dark they are. Aesop as a freedman was brilliant at seeing into the psyche of humankind. The Fables have held up well over the last 2500 years. I found it odd that the translator used the names of the Roman gods as opposed to the original greek gods.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the ones I was familiar with, many of them seemed repetitious. Overall a book everyone should and usually are familiar with.

[smcamp1234 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the ones I was familiar with, many of them seemed repetitious. Overall a book everyone should and usually are familiar with.

[berthashaver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book contains 82 of Aesop's fables. Many of these short stories with a moral of the story at the end, I have never heard before. Many, many of these early stories have morals that I never knew the origin of - A stitch in time saves nine, honesty is the best policy. These moral little sayings have withstood the test of time.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yet another I should reread, although so many of the fables are so familiar. Who could forget the fox and the grapes? The lessons in Aesop are still worthwhile today.

[pauline.ramsey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first time I ever read any of Aesop's Fables and I loved each little story. These nuggets of morality hidden within tiny stories truly makes one think about their actions towards themselves and toward others. It is an excellent book to read to your little ones in hopes of helping them understand decency towards others.

I would recommend this book to others.

[vegetarian_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Nothing in it is true - though some argue that it has 'truths' (of a sort). I gave it one star...

[briannad84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read this for the "1001" books and they're good little stories with great moral messages, but I found it hard to read them straight thru as a whole book. A few of the stories I even got a bit confused on because I kept mixing them up with others that were similar. I thought a few times "didn't I just read this this one?" But it was a good read and a keeper, and at least I finished it!

[jill5barrington · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Various fables by Aesop are presented in a collection.The book would be useful in discussing morals and fables with kids.

[voracious_reader_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Every few years I enjoy rereading Aesop’s Fables. When I come across a different edition with wonderful, new-to-me illustrations, I just can’t help myself. The morals of the Fables are occasionally contradictory, that’s where they’re most interesting in fact. For example, some tales seem to indicate that opposites attract and can help one another; in other instances alike things are attracted to one another and those things that are different are dangerous and can cause them harm; still, one has to fight the urge, because they are so amusing, to agree with all of Aesop’s “lessons” on all points. The best thing you can get from it as a child is that the world can be a contradictory place and that the best thing to do is ask questions about the truth of any given assertion or act. Aesop, if he did exist, seems like he could probably move from being a skeptic to being paranoid pretty easily. It’s good to read the tales with a dose of good humor.

[anietzerck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure if it was just the copy that I had but it seems that so many of the stories were the same or very similiar and there were also some that seemed to tell the same story but with different outcomes. I know that historians are pretty sure that other authors have added their own work to be included with Aesop's fables, and that made the repetitive stories a little easier to read. Individually though, most of the fables had a good lesson attached to it.

[aricana_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tortoise and the Hare, the Grasshopper and the Ant, and dozens more of the delightful creatures that have been entertaining and instructing people for thousands of years. The storyteller Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, far away from us in time and distance. But his clever little stories have as much meaning for us today as they did when he first told them so long ago...

[goldenbeep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book while taking a course on animal satire with a focus on the Aesopic tradition. The fables are very entertaining and make for good conversation with friends. The translator, Laura Gibbs, has posted many of the fables on her website. However, the book is organized by situations, and there is nothing more satisfying than quoting one of Aesop's fables to remedy a particular situation.

[perlle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just as relevant as ever.

[sheherazahde · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite version. The morals actually match the stories. This book was a Christmas gift to my dad and his bothers in 1935.