Reading Notes: Aesop for Children (Winter), Part A

Illustration of an ancient person reading Aesop's Fables. Source: Website.

The Aesop for Children with illustrations by Milo Winter

• The Wolf and the Kid
• Begins with a kid growing in his horns, so he thinks he old and capable of living on his own
• Due to this, he ignores his mother's call to head home from pasture one night and ends up alone, which scares him into running home but he runs into a wolf
• The kid begs the wolf to pipe a tune for him before he dies, so the wolf complies, but the noise carries to the flock's shepherd dogs
• The dogs recognize the wolf's "dinner tune" and run to save the kid, chasing the wolf away
• Lesson: "Do not let anything turn you from your purpose"
• The Tortoise and the Ducks
• Tortoise cursed by Jupiter to hold his house on his back for all time since he was lazy and stayed home during her wedding, which eventually he regretted as he watched other animals live freely
• One day he told this to a pair of ducks who said they can help him if he bit onto a stick so they could carry him into the sky, but that he must not say a word or he would fall
• Surely enough, once they were high in the air, a passing crow exclaimed that he must be "king of the tortoises", and the tortoise went to agree but fell before he could finish his sentence
• Lesson: "Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune"
• The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox
• Introduces a dog and a rooster who wish to see the world, so they leave the farm they live on and venture into a nearby forest along a path
• That night, the rooster spotted a hollow tree to roost in with a place for the dog to sleep inside the trunk
• The next day the rooster, following his typical routine, crowed loudly and awoke a nearby fox who ran to him quickly and "welcomed" him to the forest, saying they would become good friends
• The rooster told him to go around the trunk and enter through the door, so the fox did, but he was seized by the dog instead
• Lesson: "Those who try to deceive may expect to be paid in their own coin"
• The Eagle and the Jackdaw
• Immediately, an eagle swoops down to snatch a baby lamb and bring it to her nest
• A jackdaw nearby saw this happen and believed that he could do the same, so he attempted to snatch up a large ram, but his talons got tangled in his wool and he barely even got the ram to notice he was there
• Shepherd saw this, ran to the jackdaw, and clipped its wings, so he could give it to his kids
• Lesson: "Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers"
• The Boy and the Filberts
• Boy is given permission to get filberts out of a jar, so he grabs as many as he can, but then cannot remove his fist, so he cries out of frustration since he wants them all
• His mom tells him not to take so many and be happy with what he has then maybe he will get more another time
• Lesson: "Do not attempt too much at once"
• The Ass and His Driver
• A donkey was being driven along a path down a mountainside and suddenly got the idea to take his own path down the side of the cliff towards his stall at the foot of the mountain
• His driver pulled his tail as he was about to jump, but the donkey pulled with all its might, so the driver let him go and he tumbled down the cliff
• Lesson: "They who will not listen to reason, but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune"
• The Oxen and the Wheels
• Pair of oxen pulling a very heavy wagon with all their strength without complaining
• The wheels of the wagon were not working very hard but creaking and groaning the whole time, which made the oxen angry so they told them to shut up
• Lesson: "They complain most who suffer least"
• The Gnat and the Bull
• A gnat is buzzing loudly through a meadow and settles on the tip of a bull's horn to rest
• Before he is about to take off again, he said to the bull that it must be glad he is leaving now, but the bull said he did not even realize the gnat was there
• Lesson: "The smaller the mind the greater the conceit"
• The Plane Tree
• A pair of travelers lay under a tree for shade and rest then notice after a while that it is a plane tree, which bears no fruit, so they express how useless they are
• The tree gets mad and calls them ungrateful since they are sitting in its shade
• Lesson: "Our best blessings are often the least appreciated"
• The Farmer and the Stork
• A naïve stork was convinced to join a flock of cranes who were going to a new field to steal, but they ended up entangled in its farmer's net
• The stork begged the farmer to let him go because he did not know of the cranes' plans, but the farmer refused since he caught him with the thieving cranes on his land
• Lesson: "You are judged by the company you keep"
• The Sheep and the Pig
• Shepherd discovers a pig in the pasture where he holds his sheep, so he takes it to the butcher while it squeals and tries to get away
• Amused by his behavior, the sheep ask the pig why it squeals that way so the pig explains that when the shepherd picks a sheep up, he just wants wool, but in his case he wants his bacon
• Lesson: "It is easy to be brave when there is no danger"
• The Travelers and the Purse
• Two travelers going along a road and come across a full purse, so one of them picks it up and claims how lucky he must be to have found it
• The other man tells him that since they both found it, they should share it, and how lucky THEY are, which made the the first man angry since he wants it for himself
• Another person yells "stop, thief" at them and they notice an angry, armed mob heading their way, so the first man expresses how badly they'll be in trouble if they get caught, but the other man says it is his problem since he would not share
• Lesson: "We cannot expect any one to share our misfortunes unless we are willing to share our good fortune also"
• The Lion and the Ass
• Lion was walking down a forest aisle as other animals made way for him to pass and a donkey made a negative remark at him as he passed
• The lion got mad for a moment, the realized who made the remark and figured it best not to even pay the donkey any attention
• Lesson: "Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them"
• The Owl and the Grasshopper
• Owls described as always sleeping during the day, then waking up after sunset to go hunting for insects and rodents
• One older owl in particular was hard to please and would get upset if she was woken up during the day
• Grasshopper made his noise one day, waking her up, so she stuck her head out of her tree and yelled at it, but he told her he had as much right to his area in the sun as she did to her tree while singing louder
• Rather than arguing, she invited him nicely to her tree and offered him wine that was supposed to make him sing even better 
• Once he got into her den, she could see him much better so she ate him
• Lesson: "Do not let flattery throw you off your guard against an enemy"
• The Wolf and His Shadow
• Wolf went out to hunt one evening and noticed his long shadow as the sun set, so he told himself he did not need to run from lions since he was so large
• Suddenly a much larger shadow overtook him and it was a lion who took him down instantly
• Lesson: "Do not let your fancy make you forget realities"
• The Rat and the Elephant
• Rat was traveling down his King's highway and noticed the King and his entourage ahead in the distance
• A crowd of people were following the group, astonished by the elephant that the king was riding on, and what they were all wearing
• Since they were fascinated with the King's group, they did not notice the rat as he passed, which hurt his feelings
• The rat started complaining, saying he was the same as the elephant except for his size and wrinkly skin, so the royal cat shot him a look and the rat stopped, realizing he was wrong
• Lesson: "A resemblance to the great in some things does not make us great"
• The Boys and the Frogs
• Boys were skipping rocks into a pond, terrifying the frogs that lived there until a brave, old frog stuck his head out and begged them to stop
• Lesson: "Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of another's unhappiness"
• The Ass Carrying the Image
• Donkey was donned with garlands and a sacred image on the way to a temple, followed by priests and pages down the street
• As he passed by citizens, they bowed or fell to their knees, so he thought they were paying homage to him, which blew up his ego so he stopped to bray at the people, but his beat him with a stick and told him to keep moving
• Lesson: "Do not try to take the credit to yourself that is due to others"
• The Two Goats
• Two goats were walking along a mountainside and came upon either side of a deep valley with running water below and only a very narrow tree trunk as a way to cross it
• Being prideful, each goat started making its way across the tree at the same time until they met horn-to-horn in the middle, refusing to move, so they both fell into the water below
• Lesson: "It is better to yield than to come to misfortune through stubbornness"
• The Ass and the Load of Salt
• Merchant driving his donkey home from a seashore with a large salt load ran into a shallow river which they had passed through before, but the donkey accidentally slipped halfway through it
• The merchant helped the donkey to its feet and noticed lots of the salt had been lost to the river, but the donkey did not mind cus the load was now lighter than before and they returned home
• The next day, the same thing happened except the donkey fell on purpose, so the merchant got angry and took them both back to the seashore, loading the donkey up with two baskets of sponges so no salt would escape, and on the way back the donkey fell again to no avail, and walked back home with a very heavy load
• Lesson: "The same measures will not suit all circumstances"
• The Lion and the Gnat
• A gnat was buzzing around a lion's head so the lion told it to go away and called it vile, but the gnat was unbothered and asked if the lion thought he was afraid just because everyone called him the king
• The gnat flew to the lion and stung it repeatedly, so the lion tried to swat it away but only clawed himself until he was worn out and gave up
• The gnat flew away to brag about his victory, but ended up being eaten in a spider's web
• Lesson: "The least of our enemies is often the most to be feared. Pride over a success should not throw us off our guard"
• The Leap at Rhodes
• A man who traveled a lot would only talk about his wonderful adventures and great deeds he had done abroad when he returned to his home, one of which was about him leaping farther than any man in a city called Rhodes, which he claimed happened with many witnesses around
• A person listening to the story told him to prove it, but obviously he could not
• Lesson: "Deeds count, not boasting words"
• The Monkey and the Camel
• Monkey was asked to dance for guest entertainment at a celebration for the King Lion, which brought him many compliments and made the camel jealous
• The camel wanted to show that he could do it too, so he made his way through the crowd and started dancing on his hind legs (he looked ridiculous and was stepping on others' toes)
• Eventually, he came within an inch of the King Lion's nose when kicking his feet out, so the others angrily banished him to the desert and served him as refreshment to the celebration's company
• Lesson: "Do not try to ape your betters"
• The Wild Boar and the Fox
• A fox passes a boar who is sharpening his tusks on a tree stump and makes fun of him by pretending there is an imminent threat nearby, but stops after the boar ignores him and then asks why the boar is doing that if no danger is nearby
• The boar proceeds to explain that even though he is safe in the moment, when danger does appear he needs to be ready so he does not die
• Lesson: "Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace"
• The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
• A donkey and a fox become close friends and spend most of their time together
• One day they run into a lion, which freaks the donkey out, so the fox tries to talk to him saying that if he spares him, he will help lead the donkey into a pit so he can eat him, which the lion agrees to
• The fox tells the donkey that they are safe, but that he must follow him to a safe place to hide, so the donkey goes into a deep pit
• The lion then eats the fox first, then the donkey
• Lesson: "Traitors may expect treachery"
• The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox
• A bear and a lion start fighting over a lost kid until they are both so wounded they cannot fight any longer
• As soon as they fall, a fox steals the kid from in front of them and gets away, so the lion and bear regret not sharing in the first place
• Lesson: "Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit"
• The Travelers and the Sea
• Two travelers were walking along a seashore and noticed something washing ashore in the distance
• They guess what it could be as they ran to it, hoping for a ship from distant lands with rich treasures, a fisherman's skiff full of the day's catch, a treasure chest full of gold, etc.
• When they reach it, they realize it is just a log
• Lesson: "Do not let your hopes carry you away from reality"
• The Wolf and the Lion
• A wolf stole a lamb from a shepherd's flock and was taking it home to eat it, but a lion crossed paths with him and stole it from him for "no reason"
• After walking away a bit, the wolf quietly said that the lion had no right to steal what is his, but the lion hears this and asks if the wolf bought it or if it was gifted to him since he knew he stole it
• Lesson: "What is evil won is evil lost"
• The Mice and the Weasels
• Weasels and mice had a long-standing rivalry where the weasels would always win and get away with several mice to eat
• The mice got sick of losing, so they elected generals/commanders who wore crowns made of feather/straw for their army in preparation for the next battle
• At the next battle, the weasels broke through the mice's front line, so the privates escapes easily into their holes, but the generals/commanders could not fit so they were eaten
• Lesson: "Greatness has its penalties"
• The Wolf and the Lean Dog
• Wolf was very hungry and searching for food near a village when he spotted a skinny dog to settle on
• As the wolf closed in on the dog, the dog tells him that it would be dumb to eat him now because his master will have a wedding feast that he can fatten up on the scraps from, so the wolf backed off and waited
• A few days later he came back to eat him, but the dog was locked up and told the wolf he could eat him after the porter opened the gate, but the porter was a large dog notorious for hating wolves, so the wolf left in disappointment
• Lesson: "Do not depend on the promises of those whose interest it is to deceive you. Take what you can get when you can get it"
• The Lion and the Ass
• A lion and a donkey went hunting together and spotted a herd of goats run into a cave, so they made a plan for the donkey to go into the cave and get them out, then the lion would attack them outside
• The donkey did well by being extremely loud, so he came out of the cave bragging about it and the lions says he would have been scared too if he did not know he was a donkey
• Lesson: "The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who know him"
• The Dog and His Master's Dinner
• A dog brought his master his dinner every day without eating anything even though he wanted to, and neighborhood dogs tried to steal it even though he guarded it well
• One day the neighborhood dogs got together to take it, and the dog sat the food down to argue, but the others told him how ridiculous he was for not eating the easy meal, so he did and let the rest of the dogs have what was left
• Lesson: "Do not stop to argue with temptation"
• The Monkey and the Dolphin
• A ship near an Athens port wrecked and the people were saved by kind dolphins
• The people often travelled with pet dogs and monkeys, so a dolphin assumed a struggling monkey was a man and took him back to shore
• The dolphin asked the monkey (who he thought was a man) if he was a citizen of Athens, so the monkey said yes, and the dolphin stated that he must visit the port (called Piraeus) often, and the monkey said he is his best friend thinking Piraeus was a person
• The dolphin then realized it was not a man on his back and left the monkey to fend for itself
• Lesson: "One falsehood leads to another"
• The Wolf and the Ass
• Donkey was eating near the woods where a wolf was hunting, so to save himself he began limping and acting hurt
• The wolf asked why he was hurt, and the donkey said he stepped on a sharp thorn and that the wolf must pull it out or else it would stick his throat when he ate him
• The wolf went to pull it out and the donkey kicked him away and ran off safely while the wolf groaned about how he should not have tried to play doctor
• Lesson: "Stick to your trade"
• The Monkey and the Cat
• Cat and monkey lived together as pets and were concerned with getting food no matter what it took
• One day they noticed chestnuts roasting on a fire and decided that the cat was more skillful and should get them so the monkey can divide them up
• As the cat reached into the fire and got chestnuts out, burning her paw each time, the monkey at all the chestnuts and the owners spotted them so they ran away and the cat avoided the monkey
• Lesson: "The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense"
• The Dogs and the Fox
• Pack of dogs found a lion skin and began tearing it up when a fox walked by and mocked them saying that if the lion were still alive they would be dead
• Lesson: "It is easy and also contemptible to kick a man that is down"
• The Dogs and the Hides
• Pack of hungry dogs noticed a tanner had placed hides in a river to soak them, and they wanted to eat them but could not reach them or swim from the bank
• Instead, they decided to drink up the river, but they drank so much so fast that they burst and the river height did not change
• Lesson: "Do not try to do impossible things"
• The Rabbit, the Weasel, and the Cat
• Rabbit left his home to get dinner but left his door unlocked, allowing a weasel to sneak in and settle down so that when the rabbit returned, his nose was sticking out the front door
• The rabbit got upset and asked the weasel to leave, but the weasel was too comfortable to move and did not budge
• A cat passing by heard the argument and decided to settle it, but told them she was deaf so they had to come close to tell her what happened
• When they did, the cat caught both of them in her claws, ending the dispute
• Lesson: "The strong are apt to settle questions to their own advantage"