The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski is a fascinating picture book that in the first place focuses on the life of the slave and storyteller called Aesop. Using mostly animal characters, Aesop cleverly learns to make up stories to solve problems for the powerful in the land and, at the same time, to keep himself safe.
Ten of the many fables that have been attributed to him and passed down through centuries by oral tradition are featured in the second half of this book including The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Fox and the Crow and The Donkey and the Lapdog.
Pamela Zagarenski’s visual interpretations of the fables, rendered in acrylics on wood panels, are rich to the eye, smooth to the touch and full of details that gently pull the reader into her vast imagination and sense of humor. For instance, the illustrations that accompany The Boy Who Cried Wolf show the boy ignoring his sheep while having great fun at the expense of the townspeople by saying on two consecutive days that he has seen a wolf at the edge of the forest! This causes them each day to come running to help him. On the third day the boy cries wolf again, but nobody comes to his aid.
Then, the reader turns the page and sees a majestic, elegant wolf standing there with eyes focused, a bib around his neck and his red tongue ready for a feast. The moral--- No one believes a liar, even when they tell the truth.
The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler with illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski is a striking picture book for readers 4-8 years of age and the whole family (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020).
Activity Questions for The Fabled Life of Aesop
(For 4, and 5 and 6 year old readers)
Turn to the back of the book and find the double page illustration that says Aesop’s Fables. Study this charming gathering of animals and folks from this book who have come together to actually read this book.
Find the following characters: the tortoise, the grasshopper, the crow, the lion, the fox, the goose, the hare, the donkey, the owl, the lapdog, the mouse and Aesop himself! Take your time, they are all there. If you were to make up a title for this gathering what would it be?
(For 7 and 8 year old readers)
Which of Aesop’s fables put forth in this book have you heard before? Which one is your favorite? Which moral have you heard before? Which moral is your favorite? Be sure to read the Afterword for more information about fables. Try writing a fable. Remember, Aesop most usually wrote about how kindness, truthfulness and goodness wins over telling lies, being tricky and being greedy.
