Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s Fables

For over 2,500 years the simple stories and wry humor of Aesop’s fables have entertained children and adults alike. Their lessons have seeped into the very fabric of our language, as evidenced by expressions such as ‘sour grapes’ and ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ Through the centuries many artists have risen to the challenge of interpreting their favorite tales. In this magnificent edition, award-winning illustrator Helen Ward has chosen a dozen of her favorite fables, creating with words and watercolors.

Tortoni Tremolo: The Cursed Musician

Musician Tortoni Tremolo’s constant practicing so annoys his neighbor that she puts a curse on him, but to her dismay the spell does not have the desired effect.

Flix

Flix, a dog born to cat parents, finds himself able to exist in two cultures, marries a cat, and campaigns for mutual respect between cats and dogs.

Tom

Tom, a huge and adventurous dinosaur, makes an entertaining trip to New York City, where he makes an indelible impression on the Big Apple.

Nancy, the Little Gosling

Nancy’s interest in butterflies distracts her from lessons in waddling, flying, and swimming, but she still has something to teach her fellow goslings, and perhaps even their teacher.

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane

In medieval Ireland, Theophane’s boredom with his duties as a scribe distracts the other monks, but when he is sent to the kitchens, he discovers that he can make inks of many colors from plants, allowing others to illustrate their work.

An Extraordinary Egg

Jessica the frog befriends the animal that hatches from an egg she brought home, thinking it is a chicken.

The Heart and the Bottle

Once there was a girl whose life was filled with all the wonder of the world around her. Then one day something occurred that caused the girl to take her heart and put it in a safe place. However, after that it seemed that more things were empty than before. Would she know when and how to get her heart back?

The Giraffe that Walked to Paris

This book retells the true story of how the first giraffe ever to come to Europe was sent by the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France in 1826, and the giraffe walked from the disembarkation point of Marseilles to Paris to see the King.

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse

Everyone loves Willy the wind-up mouse, while Alexander the real mouse is chased away with brooms and mousetraps. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be loved and cuddled, thinks Alexander, and he wants to be just like him until he discovers that Willy is to be thrown away.

Worlds of Words

International Collection of Children’s and Adolescent Literature

Primary (ages 6-9)