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sakuraanne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I had a beautiful illustrated collectible copy of Aesop's Fables as a child, so I was excited to get into them as an adult. I did not realize that the fables in my children's copy were not shortened just for children. I only found out after reading this new translation that the original fables are not detailed, and that they are already short stories (if even that, since many of them are only a paragraph each). Additionally, a few of the fables were uncomfortably crude. I find it disturbing that a man decided that these should be included in his compilation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
rakishabpl's review against another edition
3.0
Reading Level: Grade 4
Appeal: 2nd to 4th Graders
Like Greek and Roman mythology, there’s just something universally appealing about Aesop’s fables. They give insight into human behavior and help readers make better choices. This collection of 60 plus stories features 1-page tales accompanied by appropriate, if unremarkable, illustrations and the main idea highlighted in bold at the end of the tale. One of my favorite fables stars the Roman god of all gods, Jupiter (Zeus is his Greek equivalent) and a queen bee. In this tale, Jupiter is gifted with the best honey he’s ever had. To thank the queen bee responsible for this delicious batch of honey, he promised to grant her deepest wish. Queen Bee wished for a stinger, so could kill anyone who dared approach her hive. Jupiter gave as she asked, but it turned out that the use of the stinger would only be fatal to the Queen Bee. Once the stinger was used, it would be torn from her body and kill her. The lesson? Evil wishes can have evil consequences.
Appeal: 2nd to 4th Graders
Like Greek and Roman mythology, there’s just something universally appealing about Aesop’s fables. They give insight into human behavior and help readers make better choices. This collection of 60 plus stories features 1-page tales accompanied by appropriate, if unremarkable, illustrations and the main idea highlighted in bold at the end of the tale. One of my favorite fables stars the Roman god of all gods, Jupiter (Zeus is his Greek equivalent) and a queen bee. In this tale, Jupiter is gifted with the best honey he’s ever had. To thank the queen bee responsible for this delicious batch of honey, he promised to grant her deepest wish. Queen Bee wished for a stinger, so could kill anyone who dared approach her hive. Jupiter gave as she asked, but it turned out that the use of the stinger would only be fatal to the Queen Bee. Once the stinger was used, it would be torn from her body and kill her. The lesson? Evil wishes can have evil consequences.
furby's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A very light read with importend life lessons! Suitable for young and old, told by animals point of view mostly. My version also had an interesting preface about the history of these fables!
merrifield's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
a_writer_guy's review
3.0
It's a classic, obviously, but a lot of it is a little redundant. Maybe it's because Aesop knew you have to say things more than once to get people to understand. Either way, it was interesting to see all the little axioms and idioms we still use to this day.
aezar's review
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
franklloydweft's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Adding this review retroactively. I took my jolly time reading through all the fables but I did thoroughly enjoy myself. There are a lot of little tales in here I had no idea were attributed to Aesop, and I learned a lot about the origins of the fables themselves. Not a 5 star because it wasn’t a TRANSCENDENT mythological/classical text for me, but I had a fun time!
chaoticbookgremlin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0