Winner of the Caldecott Medal
A pig flying through marshmallow clouds? A camel pirouetting through the desert? Where else could a reader find such marvelous things but in a fable? From the author-illustrator behind beloved Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel, comes a collection of humorous, silly fables that will delight readers young and old.
“The most remarkable of the author-illustrator’s 60-plus bestselling award winners.” —Publishers Weekly
“There is enough cheerful nonsense in Mr. Lobel’s fables to endear any child listener.” —The New York Times
“Lobel has come up with a magical addition to an ancient genre of storytelling.” —Newsweek
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"A collection of fables with fortune cookie-like words of wisdom at the end of each story. A full color, full page illustration mirrors each page of text. Animals are cast as the main characters in each fable making the stories that much more relatable. All of the fables have good morals and worthy bits of wisodm, but my favorite tale was the last one about the mouse who journeys to see the ocean and arrives bloodied and bruised but witnesses a sunset that verges on sheer perfection. Great read, even a great read aloud in small doses so each message can be savored. Must read/see!"
— Samantha (5 out of 5 stars)
“There is enough cheerful nonsense in Mr. Lobel’s Fables to endear any child listener.
— New York Times“Lobel has come up with a magical addition to an ancient genre of storytelling.”
— Newsweek" A fun collection of original fables with a moral to go with them. They would be great for older children, and each fable is just one page long. It would be great to use to introduce a writing unit. "
— Lisa, 1/26/2014" 1981 Award winner. Colored pencil and watercolor. Great collection of short fables with the moral of the story at the end of each. Rec for P-4. Adults and teens will like these too. Fans of Arnold Lobel will not be disappointed. "
— Erica, 1/24/2014" One of the few kid's books I really loved as a child. The illustrations are hilarious and the stories are cute and age appropriate. "
— Jennie, 1/20/2014" Delightful. Each fable has a "moral" at the end like Aesop's Fables, and each is about a different animal. A fun read aloud. "
— Betsy, 1/19/2014" This is for the slightly more advanced reader (after the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup). Lobel makes up some interesting fables with some interesting and quirky lessons to teach. I really loved reading this to my son, and he now loves getting it down when he wants a short read. "
— Laurie, 1/17/2014" Illustrated by the author using gouache and pencil. Winner of the 1981 Caldecott Medal. I loved these. They were just outlandish enough to be hilarious. The writing was right on. And the illustrations were great as well, providing an additional level of humor. A new favorite. "
— Kelly, 1/13/2014" I hope Arnold Lobel is not reading this, but I wish he had illustrated Aesop's Fables rather than his own fables. His are okay, but not memorable like Aesop's. "
— Kirei, 1/13/2014" I really like that the animals tell the stories in this book. I love the moral at the end of each fable. "
— Reba, 1/12/2014" I used to check this book out very often from my school library. It has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. The illustrations are great and the fables are perfect for children. Love it! "
— Carrie, 12/31/2013" Used this to teach about moral lessons. Some of my kids that love to read to the class used it as reader's theater. I love the drawings that coincide with the stories and how they all involve animals. "
— Mary, 11/12/2013" Caldecoott Medal Winner 1981 - This a great way to build a common heritage and ensure the young ones have that common knowledge for further literary references. "
— Kirsten, 10/19/2013" Each fable features animal characters, a single illustration, and a snappy little moral. A bit word-heavy for a picture book, but it might be fun to read the story and have the kids guess what the moral is. "
— Destinee, 10/6/2013" Fun and cute! "
— Camilla, 9/15/2013" I really enjoy how precise but yet entertaining the fables are. Putting the morale of the story can help readers understand the text. "
— Dustin, 7/14/2013" Classic rendition of Aesop's fables. This would be a great way to discuss how sometimes animals take the place of humans (used as stand-ins) "
— Elizabeth, 8/25/2012" Okay, this was a great book. This book had 20 fables in it, each with a different moral. This would be a great book to read with your child and have a discussion about what the moral of each fable means to them. "
— Nikole, 8/3/2012" Great fun! My consistent favorite is "The Camel Dances". "
— Rachel, 7/25/2012" I had to do a report on a short story or fable i live my life by and the mouse at the seashore is what i live by, a long hard journey will pay off. "
— Jess, 5/15/2012" It was ok. Didn't "wow" me. There are probably some good fables that could be useful, but sometimes I would read them and feel like the moral of the story wasn't what I gleamed from the text. hmm "
— Libby, 4/22/2012" What a fabulous book! Each one page fable (complete with a moral at the end) was paired with a full page color illustration opposite it. The fables, all 20 of them, are fresh and fun. Leave it to Arnold Lobel to make something old new again. "
— Cynthia, 3/3/2012" 1981 Caldecott Winner "
— Brindi, 12/7/2011" These fables are a fun set of stories with an interesting cast of characters and satisfying morals. The illustrations are charming. "
— Abby, 5/26/2011" Caldecott Winner 1981. fables similar to Aesops "
— Amanda, 3/8/2011" Award: Caldecott Medal <br/>Genre: Fables, young children <br/>In this book the fables are short and to they point. It is easy to follow and understand the content and morals of the fables even for a young reader. The illustrations are wonderfully done and add to the enjoyment of this book. "
— Amy, 3/8/2011" I used to check this book out very often from my school library. It has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. The illustrations are great and the fables are perfect for children. Love it! "
— Carrie, 1/4/2011" This is for the slightly more advanced reader (after the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup). Lobel makes up some interesting fables with some interesting and quirky lessons to teach. I really loved reading this to my son, and he now loves getting it down when he wants a short read. "
— Laurie, 12/25/2010" A book of twenty different fables all with different morals. I wasn't a fan of all of them, some were extra ridiculous. I did find it fun to read to my boys. "
— Heidi, 12/14/2010" This book was...interesting. Some of the stories were kind of twisted and strange and some of the morals seemed a bit odd to be aiming at children. But I like the overall idea of the book and some of the stories and morals were really good. "
— Lisa, 11/15/2010" What a fabulous book! Each one page fable (complete with a moral at the end) was paired with a full page color illustration opposite it. The fables, all 20 of them, are fresh and fun. Leave it to Arnold Lobel to make something old new again. "
— Cynthia, 11/8/2010" Fun pictures. Short 1 page fables. <br/>Think the moral at the end is overkill though. "
— Mckinley, 11/4/2010" Classic rendition of Aesop's fables. This would be a great way to discuss how sometimes animals take the place of humans (used as stand-ins) "
— Elizabeth, 10/19/2010" The stories were a great way to explain the sayings at the bottom of each page, although the book is a bit long for younger children and the pictures a bit muted. Just not my style I guess?? It was neat to read fables I was unfamiliar with up until now. "
— Sara, 9/30/2010Arnold Lobel (1933–1987) was the award-winning author and illustrator of many beloved children’s books, including the classic I Can Read books about Frog and Toad, and the Caldecott Medal winning Fables.
Mark Linn-Baker has appeared on Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Doonesbury. His film and television credits include My Favorite Year, Noises Off, and seven seasons of ABC’s Perfect Strangers.