Fables

Written and Illustrated by: Arnold Lobel

Harper & Row, Mexico 1980

48 pages

Traditional Literature

 

                            I chose this book because fables are something that have been around for years and years and they are very interesting to read. This book contains 20 short fables each taking up a whole page. All of the characters in the story are animals. A few of these tales include stories such as The Pelican and the Crane and The Cat and his Visions. Each fable teaches a lesson or moral at the end, such as, "there is such thing as too much order".

                            I think the illustrations are done with water colors and pencil. I was not able to find what the artist used, but I believe that is what he used. Each illustration takes up a whole page and the text also covers the whole opposite page. The colors are mostly dim, dreary colors that make the pictures seem sad. The illustrations show the characters involved in the story and sometimes a scene from the story.

                            One connection that could be used in the classroom could be when teaching you class about morals. This could also be a good book that could be used by the school counselor. These fables could also be used when discussing traditional literature in the classroom and how stories were years ago. A good activity that could be done is getting your class to make up their own story that teaches a specific lesson. This book received a Caldecott Medal.