Aesop's Fables and Other Ancient Animal Tales

Publisher Marketing: We know the moral of the tortoise and the hare or the meaning of "sour grapes" because of the enduring legacy of the fables of Aesop told to generation after generation of children. While fables have deep roots in the European tradition, these oral narratives were widespread in the ancient world and have parallels in the Near East, India, and Africa. Most are short stories about anthropomorphized animals that contain morals about life and human nature. But the fable collections, which were often written down only centuries after their first telling, contain a wide variety of other material, including jokes, origin stories, and simple tales about animals, plants, and humans. Some characters pervade the fables as stereotypes of human behaviours - the fox is clever, the lion is proud, and hares are cowardly. While the powerful often prevail, sometimes it is the cunning and the weak who triumph. The fables in this collection are meant for readers of all ages who love these animal stories and want to learn their lessons. Since there are many written versions of these oral tales, the best elements from many authors and time periods have been combined into a select group of classical fables. In addition, to enhance the reading experience, fun animal facts as well as illustrations inspired by the often very human nature of the animal world are also included.