Fables Definition
Fables are stories that convey a lesson with animals or inanimate objects as the main characters.
Timeline
620 BCE - Aesop is born
1461 - Earliest known publication of Aesop Fables (Bamberg, Germany).
1484 - Aesop Fables published in English
1988 - The Lion and Mouse (inspired by the Aesop fable of the same name) by Jerry Pinkney is published
Scholarly Reference Resources About Fables
- Animal Land: The Creatures of Children's Fiction byCall Number: PN1009.Z6 B55 1975Publication Date: 1975
Children and Books by
This 50th anniversary edition of a classic bestseller offers the most comprehensive introduction to children's literature, including the finest authors and artists of both the past and present. Children & Books, 9/e, maintains the features that first made this text a market leader, namely, an emphasis on major authors and artists, guidelines and criteria for selecting good literature in each genre, a focus on new books and new ideas, and above all, unrivaled attention to children's interests and developmental needs.
Call Number: PN1009.A1 A7 1997ISBN: 0673997332Publication Date: 1997-01-07- Early American Children's Books byCall Number: Z1037 .R68 1971ISBN: 0486224678Publication Date: 1971-01-01
Fables in English
The Lion and the Mouse by
The Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling fable of compassion and kindness retold by acclaimed artist Jerry Pinkney. In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes. Don't miss these other classic retellings by Pinkney: The Little Mermaid The Grasshopper and the Ants The Tortoise and the Hare The Three Billy Goats Gruff Little Red Riding Hood Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Call Number: PZ8.2.P456 L56 2009ISBN: 9780316013567Publication Date: 2009-09-01
Fables by
Winner of the Caldecott Medal A pig flying through marshmallow clouds? A camel pirouetting through the desert? Where else could a reader find such marvelous things but in a fable? From the author-illustrator behind beloved Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel, comes a collection of humorous, silly fables that will delight readers young and old. "The most remarkable of the author-illustrator's 60-plus bestselling award winners." --Publishers Weekly "There is enough cheerful nonsense in Mr. Lobel's fables to endear any child listener." --The New York Times "Lobel has come up with a magical addition to an ancient genre of storytelling." --Newsweek
Call Number: PZ8.2.L6 Fab 1980ISBN: 0060239735Publication Date: 1980-08-06
Seven Blind Mice by
"It's a pillar," says one. "It's a fan," says another. One by one, the seven blind mice investigate the strange Something by the pond. And one by one, they come back with a different theory. It's only when the seventh mouse goes out-and explores the whole Something-that the mice see the whole truth. Based on a classic Indian tale, Ed Young's beautifully rendered version is a treasure to enjoy again and again. "Immensely appealing."(The Horn Book, starred review)
Call Number: Y68 Se 1992ISBN: 0399222618Publication Date: 1992-04-29
Once a Mouse... by
Marcia Brown retells an Indian fable from the Hitopadesa in this Caldecott Medal-winning tale of a mouse who becomes a tiger. When a small mouse's life is threatened by large jungle predators, a kindly hermit uses magic to change him into a cat, a dog, and a majestic tiger. But the proud tiger must suffer the consequences when he becomes ungrateful and forgets his humble origins. Marcia Brown's magical woodcuts bring this Indian fable to life with the mastery that won her a second Caldecott Medal.
Call Number: PZ8.2.B668 On 1989ISBN: 0689713436Publication Date: 1989-09-30
Chanticleer and the Fox by
King of the barnyard, Chanticleer struts about all day. When a fox bursts into his domain, dupes him into crowing, and then grabs him in a viselike grip, Chanticleer must do some quick thinking to save himself and his barnyard kingdom. Winner, 1959 Caldecott Medal Notable Children's Books of 1940-1970 (ALA) Winner, 1992 Kerlan Award
Call Number: PZ8.2.C47 Ch 1958ISBN: 9780690185614Publication Date: 1958-01-01
Fables, Greek Adaptations
Fables of Aesop by
Rare 1931 Paris limited edition of Sir Roger l'Estrange translation, with 50 original drawings by Calder. 201 traditional fables in finest English rendition (17th century) beautifully complemented by Calder. "... a charming paperback facsimile ... wonderfully inventive drawings make a delightful, modern counterpoint..." -- Saturday Review.
Call Number: PA3855.E5 L4 1967ISBN: 9780486217802Publication Date: 1967-06-01
Fable Authors
Aesop (620 BCE to 564 BCE)
Arnold Lobel (1933-1987)
Jerry Pinkney (1939-2021)
Fables in Special Collections
- Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? by A hip and lively retelling of Aesop's The Ant and the Grasshopper about a colony of industrial ants who work hard and prepare while a grasshopper apparently does nothing.Call Number: PS3563.O8749 A58 2003ISBN: 9780743222471Publication Date: 2003-06-03
- Æsop's fables by This edition ... has been arranged by Bruce Rogers and printed by John Johnson at the University press, Oxford ... There are fifteen hundred copies"--Colophon. Bound with quarter vellum, marbled boards, spine title, and top edge in gilt, uncut. APU Special Collections copy is no. 1,240; signed by Bruce Rogers.Call Number: PA3855.E5 C7 1933Publication Date: 1933
Scholarly Articles About Fables
Children and Fables, Children in Fables in Hellenistic and Roman Antiquity by Christian Laes
Fables of the Golden Age: The Poetry of Marianne Moore by Bruce Ross
The Fable and Critical Thinking by Joy Moss
Animals as People in Children's Literature by Carolyn L. Burke and Joby G. Copenhaver