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Showing 43 entries for tag: Talking animals

Pattern Pattern Pattern

Talleen Hacikyan, Michael Rosen

Aesop's Fables

Aesop [an introduction to Aesop by Dr J.R.C. Cousland, Univ. British Columbia]Dog and Wolf;Fox and Grapes;Crow and Fox;Lion, Fox and Wolf;Wolf and Lamb;Mouse and Lion;Frog and Bull;Cockerel, Dog and Fox;Mosquito, Lion and Spider;Fir Tree and Thornbush;The Axe and the Trees;Partridge and the Fighting Cocks;Town Mouse and Country Mouse.Each story is laid out with one page for the tale and a full-page illustration on the facing page. The myths are told in the simple, direct language (note the minim(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Rodney McRae

Aesop’s Fables

McRae’s illustrations interpret Aesop’s fables through a range of international art forms and visual references. He is inspired by folk art and design, as well as some of the earliest known European artworks, such as the Lascaux cave paintings, Australian Indigenous, Mayan and Aztec art, Indian art, and contemporary Japanese woodblocks which enhance the reader’s interpretations of the fables. McRae also uses collage from torn paper, scraperboard, charcoal and watercolours. (...)

literary

YEAR: 1990

COUNTRY: Australia


Stanisław Srokowski

Aesop’s Fables [Bajki Ezopa]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.A collection of Aesopian fables featuring traditional and “non-traditional” animals as main characters; the fables are written in prose. Every fable tells a tale in a very expressive manner, in a colourful language; a(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: Poland


Manuela Adreani

Aesop’s Fables [Le favole di Esopo]

Aesop’s Fables includes twenty fables drawn from Aesop, accompanied by Adreani’s surrealistic and dreamy paintings.* The collection features less famous stories, including The Fox and the Donkey in a Lion’s Skin, The Lion and the Stag at the Spring, and The Frogs Ask for a King, rather than the widely known fables, such as The Hare and the Tortoise, The Lion and the Mouse, and Town Mouse and Country Mouse. Foxes, donkeys, lions, frogs, and various species of birds feature in mo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Italy


Ray Ching

Aesop’s Kiwi Fables

These are Aesop’s Fables adapted, illustrated and set in New Zealand, substituting native fauna for Aesopian characters. There are forty seven fables in Ching’s Aesop’s Kiwi Fables.The Cat & The Cockerel upon a Journey; The Blackbird & His Tail; The Kiwi at the River; The Huhu Beetle & His Shadow; The Kiwi & The Goose; The Old Tuatara & the Possum; The Cat & the Kiwi Chick; The Kiwi & the Jewel; The Thoughtful Kea; Huia & Kokako of Old; The Old M(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: New Zealand


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Awakens [Arkadien erwacht] (Arcadia, 1 [Arkadien, 1])

A shy seventeen year old girl, Rosa Alcantara, comes from Brooklyn, New York, and is of Italian descent. After having been raped she had to undergo an abortion. One day, she travels by plane to Palermo in Sicily in order to attend the funeral of a leader of the mafia clan called Carnevares. Rosa’s situation within her family is complicated: her father died several years earlier and her mother, who left Sicily a long time before that, does not want to have any contacts with her relatives, w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: Germany


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Burns [Arkadien brennt] (Arcadia, 2 [Arkadien, 2])

When Rosa Alcantara and Alessandro Carnevare try to be intimate, they are transformed into mythical beasts, the moment they get too close to each other. The reason for this lies in the fact that they belong to different mafia clans, which have been adversaries for centuries. Therefore, their fate seems to be an eternal fight against each other. When they realize the problem, they stop trying to be intimate, Rosa moves to New York and after many years reconciles with her mother Gemma. Her mum esc(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Germany


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Falls [Arkadien fällt] (Arcadia, 3 [Arkadien, 3])

During their search in Sicily for a peace bringing ancient statue, Rosa Alcantara and Alessandro Carnevare are attacked by harpies, who look like big owls. Yet, it turns out soon that this mythical statue is missing. In their dreadful fight with the harpies, one ally of Rosa and Alessandro called Quattrini is killed. In due course, it is revealed that the harpies are killers for hire and belong to their own clan, the Malandras. The leaders of the clan are two dangerous sisters, Aliza and Saffira(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: Germany


Imogen Greenberg , Isabel Greenberg

Discover… The Ancient Greeks

Discover...  began in 2016. It is part of a series offering a light-hearted introduction to a range of ancient cultures, including The Roman Empire, The Ancient Aztecs, and The Ancient Egyptians.Discover... The Ancient Greeks opens with the stated intention of exploring who the ancient Greeks really were. The book is divided into 2-page sub-sections, each discussing a different aspect of ancient Greek culture.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United States of America


Graham Annable, Gregory Benton, R.O. Blechman, Vera Brosgol, Graham Chaffee, Eleanor Davis, Chris Duffy, Ulises Farinas, Tom Gauld, Sophie Goldstein, Charise Harper, Jaime Hernandez, John Kerschbaum, James Kochalka, Braden Lamb, Roger Langridge, Simone Lia, Jennifer L. Meyer, Corinne Mucha, Mark Newgarden, George O'Connor, Shelli Paroline, Israel Sanchez, Robert Sikoryak, Ricardo Siri, Maris Wicks, Keny Widjaja

Fable Comics

Fable Comics is a fun and diverse collection of comics retelling fables in a lively, modern style. As many author/illustrators were involved, the fables have many different visual styles; many are rendered in a simplistic or impressionistic style, others are highly illustrated. The majority are told in a humorous tone. Most of the fables are from Aesop, while some are from other traditions. The origin of the story is given as a note at the beginning of each story, e.g. "From Aesop", &q(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United States of America


Shlomo Abbas, Doron Sohari Shemesh

From Aesop to the Rambam [מֵאֵזוֹפּוּס עַד הָרַמְבָּ”ם (Me Izopus ad Harambam)]

This book is a collection of famous stories from Greek mythology, aiming to make young readers acquainted with other cultures.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Israel


Alison Murray

Hare and Tortoise. The Favourite Aesop's Fable

This is a retelling of the traditional myth of the Hare and the Tortoise, accompanied by lavish, charming, full-page illustrations. When the characters are introduced, the narrative pauses for two pages of semi-humorous pseudo-scientific / betting form style profiles of Hare then Tortoise. This includes one page of labelled diagram (e.g. Head – perhaps a little bit big... Whiskers – extra twitchy), and one page listing key attributes (e.g. Hare can't stay still, but can run throu(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ludwik Jerzy Kern

Here Are the Fables [Tu są bajki]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp. (accessed: June 11, 2021), section by Tomasz Królak, 112–118. The book is a collection of short fables in verse; some are adapted versions of Jean de La Fontaine’s texts, others are the author’s ori(...)

literary

YEAR: 1953

COUNTRY: Poland


George O'Connor

Hermes: Tales of the Trickster (Olympians, 10)

This enjoyable graphic novel is the most humorous one of the Olympians series to date. The novel takes as its frame the myth of the killing of Argus Panoptes. A traveller and his dog arrive at the field that the giant, Argus, guards, where he keeps his many eyes on a lone white cow. The traveller begins to tell the giant stories:The first is the story of the dogs' complaint. Hermes arranged for dogs to make their complaint to Zeus about being under human bondage. But they "voided their (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United States of America


Jef Czekaj

Hip and Hop in the House! A Free-Flowing Tortoise and the Hare Collection

Hip and Hop in the House! reimagines Aesop's familiar characters the tortoise and the hare as rap artists Hip and Hop. True to the core of the traditional fable, Hip's raps are so slow that his audience nods off, while Hop's rhymes are "quicker than lightning" (p. 7) and cannot be understood. Despite coming from different parts of the forest, the pair overcome their differences to become great mates, and share in the honours of "Best Rappers in Oldskool County". &(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


Dominic Brigstocke, Steve Connelly, William Terence Deary, Chloë Thomas

Horrible Histories (Series)

A sketch show based on the books of the same name by Terry Deary, focussing on many aspects of history not just the Classical areas. Each episode includes parodic songs teaching children about aspects of history, with both live-action and animated sections often working in conjecture to form the full picture of the sketch. Each sketch is accompanied by the narrative character Rattus Rattus who is used as an accuracy marker for the jokes within the series. The show takes a non-linear format (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


George O'Connor

Olympians (Series)

Olympians is a series of graphic novels that takes one deity per volume as the focus, retelling numerous myths related to that god.Volume 1. Zeus. King of the Gods. Featuring creation myths and the war between the Titans and Olympians. Narrator unspecified.Volume 2. Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess. Featuring the myth of Athena's conception and birth; Pallas; the attack of the Giants; Medusa and Perseus; Arachne. Narrated by the Moirae (The Fates). Volume 3. Hera. The Goddess and her Glory. Fe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


Philippe Lagautrière, Michel Piquemal

Philo-Fables. 60 Fables with Questions, Points and Keywords [Les Philo-Fables. 60 Fables accompagnées de questions, de repères et de mots-clés]

A collection of fables and tales from European philosophy, mythology, Eastern wisdom, popular tradition of many countries. All stories are similarly structured. Each fable is followed by an indication of source and then by a modern explanation of the moral entitled In the Philosopher’s Workshop (Dans l’atelier du philosophe). The key-words for each story are placed on the upper margin. Words considered difficult for the child reader are explained in footnotes, e. g. *Parabole: p(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: France


Pascal Lemaitre, Slade Morrison, Toni Morrison

Poppy or the Snake? (Who’s Got Game?, 3)

Poppy or the Snake is set in the American Deep South. The little boy, Nate, has been spending the summer holidays with his grandfather Poppy, fishing, swimming, and picking blackberries. One night after summer Nate confesses that he doesn’t want to return to school. His grades are bad, his Dad calls him lazy, and his Mom says he can’t concentrate. In response, Poppy pulls out a pair of shiny boots, which he calls his remembering boots, that help him to pay attention. Nate is confused(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United States of America


Terence (Terry) David John Pratchett

Pyramids (Discworld, 7)

Pyramids is set in the fictional Djelibeybi (or the Djel), the tiny, powerless remains of an empire whose only importance is as a strategic block between its neighbours, Tsort and Ephebe. Pteppic/Teppic, the crown prince, has been training at the Assassin’s Guild in Ankh-Morpork. Returning to the kingdom following his father’s death, Teppic discovers that he has no real power, and the real ruler is Dios, the ancient high priest. After an unfortunate series of misunderstandings in whi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1989

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Mildred DeLois Taylor

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Narrated by nine-year-old Cassie Logan, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of an African American family living in 1930s Mississippi, an era of racial segregation and economic depression. The Logan family strive to hold on to the land they own, despite coming under pressure from nearby plantation owner Harlan Granger. After local white store holders carry out a violent attack on neighbours of the Logans, tensions between whites and blacks rise throughout the novel. Mary leads(...)

literary

YEAR: 1976

COUNTRY: United States of America


Ron Brooks, Margaret Wild

Rosie and Tortoise

Rosie is a young hare eagerly waiting for her baby brother to be born. But when Bobby is born, he is tiny and weak. Rosie is scared, and avoids holding him or playing with him. As he grows (from being as heavy as an onion, to a potato, to a turnip, to "it won’t be long before he weighs as much as a cauliflower!"), Rosie remains afraid for her brother, and also afraid to connect with him. One day, her father asks her "why don’t you like Bobby?" "I do. It&rsquo(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: Australia


Kornel Makuszyński , Zbigniew Piotrowski

Satan from the Seventh Grade [Szatan z siódmej klasy]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.Professor Gąsowski is shocked when he discovers that his students have known for a long time his scheme for questioning them during class. It turns out that it was deciphered by Adam Cisowski – a brilliant student with a sp(...)

literary

YEAR: 1937

COUNTRY: Poland


Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables

Squids Will Be Squids is a satirical illustrated collection of fables. Where Aesop's tales traditionally feature dogs, foxes, wolves and donkeys, the parodic Squids includes obscure creatures (walruses, horseshoe crabs, platypuses, slugs) as well as inanimate objects (one story centres on the competition between paper, scissors and rock) and food (toast and fruit loops). The characters, who are described as variously "bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim-bulb," experience some of th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United States of America


Carlo Lorenzini, Enrico Mazzanti

The Adventures of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet [Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino]

The Adventures of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet narrates the quest of a wooden animated marionette, Pinocchio. It all starts with the best known incipit of all time: “Once upon a time, there was…  “A king!” my little readers will say right away. No children, you are wrong. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.” *And so, we are at once catapulted into the shop of a carpenter, Master Antonio, called Master Cherry because the tip of his nose was always (...)

literary

YEAR: 1883

COUNTRY: Italy


Pascal Lemaitre, Slade Morrison, Toni Morrison

The Ant or the Grasshopper? (Who’s Got Game?, 1)

According to the text on its dust jacket, these books are "more than a play on these beloved fables, Who’s Got Game? is AESOP LIVE!" Toni and Slade Morrison have adapted the well-known tale of the Ant and the Grasshopper to a modern day setting. The gangsta rap associations of the title are underscored by the New York setting, with the city populated by a variety of minibeasts, and the rhyming, rhythmic verse that borrows the intonation patterns of hip hop. The story is recounted(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United States of America


Stuart Hill, Sandra Lawrence

The Atlas of Heroes. A World of Heroes from Myth and Legend

This atlas is large in scale (at 28x34 cm) and sumptuously illustrated with hand-drawn maps decorated with numerous heroes associated with each location. The figures on the maps are numbered, and these correspond to a companion page which features summaries of each hero. The maps are double-framed within an introductory story communicated via text and illustration; a young girl discovers the atlas as part of a stash of items in an attic, and the atlas features notes added by her as she uncovers (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Carl Gordon, Mike Gordon, Mairi Mackinnon

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

This retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a traditional Aesop's Fable, is written in deliberately simple language for those learning to read. The series contains many examples of myths from around the world and simplified versions of classic literature, including those which suggest moral lessons for children to consider.The "boy"' protagonist is called "Sam". He survives the final wolf attack. The story is told through a combination of main narrative and direct speec(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kevin O’Malley

The Great Race

This comic retelling of the Aesop’s fable, the Hare and the Tortoise, opens with the Hare, Lever Lapin, revelling in his fame. He has books written about him (He’s Gone, by Otto Sight, He’s on Fire, by Stan Wellback), and is arrogant (his autobiography is entitled Fast Feet and Amazing Good Looks). Everyone admires him. Irritated, Nate Tortoise goes to his favourite restaurant (La Gaganspew) , where he is further annoyed by a group of ladies gossiping admiringly about Lever Lap(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United States of America


Patrick Branwell Brontë

The History of the Young Men

This work opens with an extensive Introduction which details the early lives of the Brontë children and the evolution of their creative writing. There is also a section of Notes on the Text, which provides a manuscript history and images of the original. Branwell's introduction provides the history of the acquisition of the toy soldiers who formed the basis of the stories. He adds, "this history is a statement of what Myself, Charlotte Emily and Ann really pretended did happen"(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Australia


Margaret McAlister

The Lion Classic Aesop's Fables

Fables attributed to Aesop were collated in antiquity by Demetrius of Phaleron, c. 300BCE (Diogenes Laertius, 5.80), and passed on through various retellings in antiquity and the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. In this collection of retellings by Margaret McAllister, it is explicitly stated in the inside cover that the stories "provide a cautionary moral to help young listeners grow clever and wise." This emphasis on morality and personal development is in-keeping with the (...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Rachel Bright, Jim Field

The Lion Inside

The Lion Inside is a reworked retelling of the Aesop's Fable, The Lion and the Mouse. It is a highly illustrated work in rhyming couplets. The tale opens by introducing both characters; the Lion lives atop a large rock formation, the Mouse in a "tinyful house" underneath. Mouse is small; other animals barely notice that he is there, which makes him sad. Lion, on the other hand, is very loud and ensures that all the animals know how loudly he can roar, how tough he is, how strong he(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Pascal Lemaitre, Slade Morrison, Toni Morrison

The Lion or the Mouse? (Who's Got Game?, 2)

A Lion, resplendent in the crown and royal robes, believes himself to be the king of the land and wants the other animals to fear him. With a repeated catch cry "Listen up! Listen up! No ifs, maybes, ands or buts! I am the king all over the land" he bellows out his strengths that give him the right to rule. The comic book frames present him showing off his physical prowess at running, jumping and clawing trees, but when he bounds through prickly bushes he gets a thorn stuck in his paw.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United States of America


Emma Chichester Clark, Michael Morpurgo

The Orchard Book of Aesop's Fables

Fables attributed to Aesop were collated in antiquity by Demetrius of Phaleron, c. 300 BCE (Diogenes Laertius, 5.80), and passed on through various retellings in antiquity and the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. This highly illustrated story-book contains retellings of a selection of Aesop's Fables for a young audience. Contents:For Mr Aesop from Mr Morpurgo, a Thank-You (An introduction to the collection).The Lion and the MouseThe Hare and the TortoiseThe Dog and his BoneThe Cro(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ignacy Krasicki

The Raven and the Fox [Kruk i lis]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.The Raven and the Fox is one of the original fables by Aesop. The main characters of the fable are a cunning fox and a vain raven with a tidbit in its beak. In order to get the food (most authors, incl. Krasicki, mention a piece (...)

literary

YEAR: 1802

COUNTRY: Poland


Madalena Elek, Ruth Rocha

The Spring of the Caterpillar [A primavera da largarta]

The ant, the praying mantis, the spider, the chameleon, the ladybug, the gecko, the dragonfly and the snail get together in the forest and started to complain about the caterpillar because she ate all the leaves she could find. They continue their whining and call her ugly, agreeing that the solution is to kill her. The snail tries to oppose them but he is too slow to present his ideas. As the animals make their way to hunt and kill the caterpillar, they meet a beautiful butterfly and ask h(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: Brazil


Rachel Bright, Jim Field

The Squirrels Who Squabbled

The Squirrels who Squabbled is a reworked retelling of the Aesop's Fable, The Ants and the Grasshopper. It is a highly illustrated work in rhyming couplets. The tale opens with the arrival of Autumn and news that all the animals are getting ready "for bed", i.e. for hibernation and Winter. The only exception, pictured blithely playing on a swing, is "Spontaneous Cyril", the squirrel. The reader learns that all the other animals have been busy gathering supplies to see the(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Wilfred Jackson

The Tortoise and the Hare

As with the short animation based on the Aesop’s fable The Hare and the Tortoise the plot is quite simple. In the woods of Disney’s creation, a big race has been organized. The competition takes place between Max Hare and Toby Tortoise. The former, inspired by boxer Max Baer, is obviously more athletic, but also cocky and overconfident, not to mention rude; as for the latter, he is clumsy and slow, but also nicer and more focused on the task – he does not care about the mockery(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1935

COUNTRY: United States of America


Kathrin Schärer

The Town-Mouse and the Country-Mouse [Die Stadtmaus und die Landmaus]

The town-mouse visits the country-mouse. She is scared of the cows and the rooster, dislikes the smell of the pigs and the wheat field stubble hurts her paws, but she loves the stars of the night sky, the food and the sunrise. Then the country-mouse visits the town-mouse. She is scared by the speed of the city, overwhelmed by the business and smells of the supermarket and frightened by a dog. She also is not used to eating so much. So her friend takes her to quieter streets and shows her the lig(...)

literary

COUNTRY: Germany


Jess Stockham

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

In this lift-the flap picture book for young readers, Jess Stockham tells the story of a mouse who lives in the country and invites her cousin from the town to visit. She promises picnics and swimming in the river. Eager for fresh air, her cousin comes. He arrives on his skateboard, and the cousins greet one another. It is time for lunch. The country mouse shows how to find nuts and berries. But the nuts are too dry, and the berries too bitter for the town mouse, who pulls a face and asks for su(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Susanna Davidson, Giuliano Ferri

Usborne Illustrated Stories from Aesop

Fables attributed to Aesop were collated in antiquity by Demetrius of Phaleron, c. 300 BCE (Diogenes Laertius, 5.80), and passed on through various retellings in antiquity and the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. This publication features retellings of many of the available Aesop's Fables, divided into categories based on themes: Pride, Trickery, Greed, Quarrels, Friendship, Cunning, and Retorts. This arrangement encourages the reader to be conscious of the messages within the sto(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United States of America