Celebrated children's author and artist Eric Carle presents eleven famous fables from the Aesopian tradition in this picture book collection. Each two-page spread features a somewhat fleshed-out version of one fable on the right-hand-side page, and a full-page illustration on the left. Fables include: The Lion and the Mouse / The Wolf and the Dog / The Fox and the Crane / The Cat and the Mouse / The Monkey and the Fox / The Rabbit and the Turtle / The Wolf and the Lamb / The Frog and the Ox / The Blackbird and the Peacocks / The Fox and the Crow / The Grasshopper and the Ants.

The fable retellings contained in The Rabbit and the Turtle were originally included in Eric Carle's 1988 Treasury of Classic Stories for Children, which included twenty-two folktales, fairy-tales and fables from Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Some of the content here appeared even earlier, in Carle's Twelve Tales from Aesop, published in 1980. Leaving that publication history aside, I found this an engaging collection, and enjoyed Carle's retellings. I also enjoyed his artwork (which I tend to find more interesting than pleasing), although I'm not sure how well it worked as an accompaniment to these fables. I'm glad to have read this one, both because Carle is such an important figure in the world of children's literature, and because I have an interest in Aesopian retellings, but on the whole I think I prefer other collections (the Milo Winter and Jerry Pinkney ones, chiefly) to this one. Still, fans of Carle who are also looking for Aesop collections, or who enjoy animal stories might want to give this one a try, and it is to them I would recommend it. ( )

Eric Carle brings to life Aesop's fables with his gorgeous illustrations and charming retelling of the classic stories. Designed to engage and delight readers of all ages, this collection contains some of Aesop's most timeless tales.

Nice illustrations for these fables. ( )

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This book is a collection of Eric Carle's adaptations of classic Aesop's Fables. Each fable is written on one page and has a single illustration that corresponds to it. The fables included in this collection are: The Lion and the Mouse, The Wolf and the Dog, The Fox and the Crane, The Cat and the Mouse, The Monkey and the Fox, The Rabbit and the Turtle, The Wolf and the Lamb, The Frog and the Ox, The Blackbird and the Peacocks, The Fox and the Crow, and The Grasshopper and the Ants. At the very bottom of the page containing the story, there is bold, colored text that states the moral of the story.

Each story in this book has a separate moral related to a philosophy about life or a moral way to behave, so the central message of the book as a whole is that there are concepts in life that we should remember and abide by if we want to be happy.

For example, in the story, The Wolf and the Dog, there is a skinny, starving wolf, who sees a chubby, well-fed dog. The wolf mentions to the dog that she must not know what hunger is. The dog explains that she has a master who ensures she is always well fed in exchange for work. The dog also mentions that her master would like to have another watchdog, if the wolf would be interested in doing this job. The wolf agrees, until he sees a collar on the dog's neck. When asked why she wore this, the dog explained that watchdogs are often chained up outside. The wolf declines the job once he learns this, because he'd rather be hungry than chained. The moral of this story is "Being free is the greatest gift." ( )