Birds of a Feather: And Other Aesop's Fables - Hardcover

Paxton, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688104002 ISBN 13: 9780688104009

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1993

Synopsis

An illustrated retelling in verse of ten fables by Aesop, including "The Laborer and the Nightingale," "The Frogs Choose a King," and " The Horse and the Donkey"

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-- This most recent collection by the popular team ( Aesop's Fables 1988; Belling the Cat and Other Aesop's Fables 1990; and Androcles and the Lion and Other Aesop's Fables 1991; all Morrow) is not entirely successful. Among the 10 retellings in verse are several that will be familiar to most readers: "The Wind and the Sun," "The Frogs Choose a King," and "The Laborer and the Nightingale." The verses are jaunty and, for the most part, free of difficult rhyme schemes; as with the earlier books, morals are affixed to each tale. Rayevsky's accompanying illustrations feature a dizzying array of locations: an Old West landscape, a commedia dell'arte stage, and a contemporary poker game. Adding to the visual confusion is the mind-boggling mixture of media and styles. In addition to pen-and-ink with watercolor washes, he also utilizes chalk pastel drawings on colored paper and acrylic paintings with touches of wax crayon. Any of these techniques is intriguing on its own, but all three together disrupt the visual flow. The depiction of the characters is also inconsistent; in one place a lion has a paw while in another spot, a similar lion has a human hand. The illustrations work against each other and against the selections, making it difficult to imagine an audience for this book. --Denise Anton Wright, Illinois State University, Normal
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Paxton and Rayevsky are on a roll--in their fourth joint venture they return once again to Aesop territory, putting their unique spin on 10 more of the master's fables. Some of the stories in this collection are familiar, such as "Birds of a Feather" and "The Pot Calls the Kettle Black"; others are more obscure, but all feature stock characters from Aesop--braggarts who get their comeuppance, pranksters who are outfoxed--as well as such timeless wisdom as the value of kindness, the importance of sharing, and the fact that verbal persuasion is always better than physical force. Singer-songwriter Paxton's spirited verse is delicious as always, especially the neat couplets that sum up the moral of each story ("One can't go wrong if one believes / There is no honor among thieves"). And Rayevsky's sly, punk-modern illustrations, with their distinctive long, lean lines and occasional dark undertones of ferocious humor, make this the ultimate Aesop for the '90s. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0688104002
• ISBN 13: 9780688104009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Rayevsky Robert