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The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler

You’ve no doubt heard Aesop’s famous fables a few times: The story of the tortoise and the hare, which teaches us that “slow and steady wins the race,” or the tale of the boy who cried wolf, which advises against lying for fear that no one will believe you even when you tell the truth. But do you know the tale of how Aesop came to be so famous?

In the new children’s adaption of Aesop’s Fables, The Fabled Life of Aesop (HMH Books), Ian Lendler begins with the story of Aesop himself, a slave known for his wisdom, whose intelligence was coveted by slave masters and revered by his brothers in chains.

“For every problem his new master faced, Aesop created…stories [that] warned against greed and deceit. They taught the value of working hard and being honest, humble and kind.” 

After learning more about Aesop and his ability to solve problems through clever storytelling, Lendler’s readers enjoy the fables themselves, beautifully illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Each fable ends with its lesson written out in gold — there’s no way anyone can miss it.

Some of Aesop’s famous bits of wisdom:

  • People respond better to kindness than to force.
  • Don’t try to make others like you by being something that you’re not.
  • There’s a time for work and a time for play.
  • There’s more than one side to every story, and the moral depends on who tells it.

And after you’ve finished learning from ten of Aesop’s fables, the story of “the boy who was born a slave, who told stories to escape,” continues.

Lendler’s adaption makes some of the most famous stories — stories that have “traveled across languages, countries and continents” — feel simultaneously new and a cozy sort of familiar, which keeps you delighted and coming back for more. 

Zagarenski’s accompanying artwork whimsically captures both the age and spirit of these stories, while giving them the respect they deserve. Her work complements Lendler’s words and truly moves their audience. Most notably, her illustration of Aesop flying to his long-awaited freedom on the back of a large bird as the words of his fables trail off in the wind behind him prompts a sensation of hope to blossom inside the reader’s chest.

Each of the animals — the trademark actors in any self-respecting fable — have their own personality, which shines through the story’s pages. As the stars of these tales, the cast of talking animals have been given the complex range of emotion known most intimately by the human race. The foxes are sly. The lions are wise. Even the tiniest insects manage to look stern and bemused.

Like Aesop’s masters, it would seem that our learning is best approached through analyzing behavior detached from ourselves. What better way to gain wisdom than by watching the failures of others? No wonder these fables have survived their travels “across 2,500 years of time to be here today.”

The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler
Genre: Children’s Books
Author: Ian Lendler
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers
ISBN: 9781328585520
Chelsea Ciccone

Chelsea Ciccone graduated from the University of North Georgia with a degree in English and now writes and edits for BookTrib.com. She has lived all over the U.S. in her twenty-something years, but, for now, she calls Connecticut home. As a writer, she believes that words are the most accessible form of magic. When she’s not dabbling in the dark arts, she can be found rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, participating in heated debates about literature, or proclaiming her undying love to every dog she meets.

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