Review: Aesop's Fables & Giveaway

Summary: One of the earliest volumes ever printed in English was Aesop’s Fables, and these delightful, instructive little parables have never gone out of style. Though originally meant for all ages, it is generally considered the first real book to have an audience of children. Noted author John Cech—whose Classic Fairy Tale Collection has received wide critical acclaim—retells some of these best-loved stories in his own inimitable way. Martin Jarrie (illustrator of the bestselling ABC USA) enhances the tales as never before with his unique folk-style art, making this anthology one of the most beautiful and necessary volumes for any child’s bookshelf.

The beloved fables here include:
- The Fox and the Grapes- The Ant and the Grasshopper- The Vain Crow
- The Rooster and the Pearl
- The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
- The Tortoise and the Hare
- The Lion and the Mouse
- The Boy Who Went Swimming
- The Sun and the Wind
- The Monkey and the Camel

Plus: a note on Aesop -- Sterling Publishing

My son was so excited when he saw the picture book AESOP'S FABLES, retold by John Cech and illustrated by Martin Jarrie. He's only four (and a half, he'd be sure to add) and not familiar with Aesop's fables, but he loved the cover with the animals and bright colors. He immediately wanted to read it, so we decided to read four stories before each bedtime. It took us a few days to get through the entire book, but he never asked for a different one until we read each and every story. That's a pretty good endorsement coming from a little guy!

I throughly enjoyed reading this book to my son. While I was familiar with some of the lessons, I certainly didn't know the vast majority of them. I'm guessing my parents didn't read Aesop's fables to me much when I was a child. And a few of the stories that I did remember, I didn't know were Aesop's. I appreciated how each story wrapped up with a one sentence lesson -- kind of like a remember.... I also loved how these lessons about the consequences of our actions still hold true today (both for parents and children.) I'm in awe of how much wisdom is contained in these little stories!

I think AESOP'S FABLES would make a wonderful addition to your library, especially if you have young children. I'm pretty sure that my son didn't understand all of the lessons, but he did enjoy the short stories (one per page) and he loved the illustrations. He even found some of the stories and pictures very funny. And as a parent I liked the stories, pictures, and lessons too; however, I love having this book to use a future teaching tool with my children.

Would you like to win a copy of AESOP'S FABLES? I just happen to have five copies to giveaway courtesy of Sterling Children's Books!!! Please leave a comment with your e-mail address for one entry. If you'd like to double or triple your chances, blog about this contest with a link back here and/or tweet about this giveaway. The contest will be open until Friday, March 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winner the next day. This contest is open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck!