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1001 Lesons To Live By
Date of Review: Sep 22, 2000
Widely agreed by scholars to have been born a slave in about 620 BC, Aesop earned his freedom through his wit and learning by, granted by his second owner. As a freedman, he was granted permission to take an active part in the public affairs of Greece and he used this privilege to elevate himself to a position of high renown. So high, in fact, that his myriad tales of wisdom and humor still grace the shelves of libraries to this day and will most likely continue to do so for as long as published works or stories are told.
The small volume I own of his fables is a mere 215 pages in length, and this includes a glossary, introduction, preface, table of contents (12 pages in length) and an introduction to the story form known as the fable. Still, this volume is considered to be a complete collection of his fables and holds 314 of his tales of wonder. Granted, few of these are longer than two or three paragraphs and many are only a couple of sentences long, but big things (like wisdom) tend to come in small packages.
How many of you have heard the tale of The Ants and the Grasshopper or The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing or The Hen and the Golden Eggs? These are just a couple of the examples of the long list of short tales that Aesop created in his effort to spread wisdom to his listeners through humor. Many of his creations have been the basis of much longer stories or even included in novels as a sub plot to the larger tale throughout the centuries that have passed since his life ended.
Being created in a time when stories, if not mankind, were innocent of the vulgarity that seems to insist upon thrusting it's ugly head into even the best current tales, this is a novel that you can read to your child without fear of having to gloss over (or completely skip) certain sections of. In addition, the tales are short enough that it is easy to reach a stopping point for bedtime stories, and very few of them would induce nightmares for the child, if any would. However, be prepared to explain the lesson of the fable at the end of each tale. Not all lessons are self evident, particularly to a small child who is still learning the ways of the world at large. By using familiar animals, Aesop overcomes many of the problems produced by tales meant to give lessons.
This is a fabulous book, and I would strongly advise any parent to procure a copy for use as bedtime stories or even just reading aloud to your child at any time. The gains are lasting and the child will be able to recall the stories easy enough to be able to have something to share on his own with friends.
