Well, the publishing industry finally did something right when they reprinted this 1919 and 1947 classic. We have Barnes and Noble to thank for this one. Of all the collections of the fabled Aesop, this is by far my favorite. The illustrations used are the originals by Milo Winter and for those familiar with his work, they will know that it just does not get much better than Winter!

This edition contains 112 tales, all written in a wonderful, rich lyrical prose which has not been dumbed down to the point of nausea. No, this is written in a fashion that will not only keep the child enthralled with the story, but also teach the child something of our language and its richness. Most children five years old and up can understand perfectly the story line and the few words that they may not be familiar with gives the adult a golden opportunity to do a bit of teaching, which after all is one of our important responsibilities.

But let's be perfectly honest here. The title of this work is The Aesop for Children. My goodness; I know of very few adults that will not be totally enchanted by this work as much, and possibly even more, than the child it is being read to or is reading it. These are timeless tales; tales most of us grew up with and are no worse for the reading many times after all of these years. Not only do the stories entertain, but they all teach. I dare say that an adult who has never been exposed to these stories will pick up a few lessons in life and the living of life through this work.

Each story is short and written in such a manner that most children will be able to retell the tale without reading it after only a few readings. This is an ideal work to teach the art of story telling to children. I also love the way that the moral of the story, always of course at the end, is written in italics. I have noted that most children can tell you instantly what the moral is without it being read to them; such is the magic of these tales, but it is always nice to be sure.

I need not list all of the stories in this book as listing 112 titles would be a bit of a space waster, but suffice to say that all the old favorites are here along with many not so well known tales. Each is illustrated my Winter in his turn of the century style. The art is beautiful and perfectly executed and adds much to the story being read.

For your money, I can hardly think of a better edition to go with than this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks