A tale that teaching gratitude. Situation of right and wrong are presented and being helpful and showing gratitude towards helpful actions.

Ten of Aesop's classic fables are here retold by singer/songwriter Tom Paxton, who transforms them from pithy prose to rhyming verse. From the opening selection, Patience, in which a hungry fox finds it easier to squeeze into a hollow tree than out of it, to the final offering, The Grasshopper and the Ants, in which a singing grasshopper discovers too late that he should have spent his summer storing food, this is an eminently readable version of the fables. The rhythm and rhyme of Paxton's poetry make it a fun read-aloud, and an excellent story-hour offering. Other selections include:

The Fox and the Grapes, in which an unsatisfied fox decides that the grapes which he cannot obtain must be sour. It is from this famous fable that the phrase "sour grapes" is derived...

Poor Old Lion, also known as The Old Lion and the Fox, in which a clever fox avoids the pitfalls of visiting a sick lion, having observed that none of the other visitors ever leave...

The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, in which a greedy man, not satisfied with the wealth brought in by his extraordinary goose, decides to "speed things up," destroying the goose - and his good fortune - in the process...

Gratitude, also sometimes styled The Lion and the Mouse, in which a mouse proves that the small can sometimes help the mighty, and that no act of kindness is ever wasted...

The Tortoise and the Hare, in which the lesson of "slow and steady wins the race" is demonstrated by the persistent tortoise, who defeats his much faster opponent in a race...

The Dog in the Manger, in which a greedy dog determines that he will keep all the hay, and give none to the hungry horse, even though he himself has no use for the hay...

The Whispering Bear, in which the unexpected appearance of a bear tests the friendship of two men, one of whom learns that important lesson that "a friend in need, is a friend indeed."

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, in which a mischievous shepherd boy learns that it is unwise to cry for help when he does not need it...

The pleasure of reading Paxton's poems is enhanced by Robert Rayevsky's charming illustrations, with their engraving-like details and vivid hues. His foxes cavort in capes and plumes, his faces are marvelously expressive, from the proud tortoise to the chagrined hare. I understand that the Paxton/Rayevsky team has worked on other Aesop retellings, and I will make a point to hunt them down. ( )