The Aesop for Children

See also: Aesop's Fables

The Aesop for Children is an illustrated adaptation of Aesop's Fables as published by Barnes & Noble Books (Checkerboard Press, Inc.: 1919, 1947, later published in 1993 by Barnes & Nobles Books, ISBN 1-56619-292-7)

This book has large print and is excellent for teaching phonics to a beginning reader. It has terrific colorful illustrations by a skilled artist.

There are about a dozen typos that can a motivator for the reader to find.

Vocabulary

• caper (pronounced phonetically with a long "a"), meaning a dance or little skip that is playful
• warren (pronounced phonetically), meaning a system of underground tunnels, as in burrows dug by rabbits
• Satyr (pronounced SAH-dər), a devilish mythological he-goat, biblical references at Leviticus 17:7, 2 Chronicles 11:15, Isaiah 13:21, and Isaiah 34:14.
• spar (pronounced phonetically, spär), a thick and study pole as might be used as a ship's mast to hoist sails

Greek mythology

There are a few references to Greek mythology, such as one fable where there is a prayer to Jupiter.

Criticisms

As with most books, criticisms can be mentioned. For this book flaws include:

• archaic terminology for donkeys and roosters, which unfortunately are used often throughout the book;
• overuse of the term "comrade", which in addition to its negative political connotation it is also non-phonetic; and
• some of its stated morals to the story miss the mark, as in the famous tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, where the lesson should be "slow and steady wins the race."

See also

• phonics reading list