4 h 39 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A crow craves praise, a hare trusts speed, and a bored boy puts his village’s trust at risk.
Aesop’s Fables gathers short animal tales credited to Aesop, a storyteller of ancient Greece. In the fox and crow tale, a bird holds food in her beak while a hungry trickster turns to flattery. In the hare and tortoise tale, a slow creature challenges a confident runner to a race.
The lion and mouse tale brings power face to face with smallness. The shepherd boy’s tale puts honesty at stake, while the town and country mice raise questions about how to live. Each fable uses a setup, a turn, and a plain moral to explore human behavior.
What you’ll discover
- The lure of praise Watch the Fox find an opening in the Crow’s weakness for flattering words.
- Patience takes its place Meet the Tortoise, who answers the Hare’s mockery with a challenge rather than a boast.
- Power meets the small Follow a tiny Mouse who promises a favor to a proud and powerful Lion.
- Trust under strain See how the Shepherd Boy’s dangerous joke makes honesty a matter for the whole village.
- A lesson in miniature Discover how a brief setup and one turn give each fable its clear moral shape.
Who will love it
For readers who love short animal tales and plain lessons about human behavior, and for parents, teachers and speakers who like a good story to make a point.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The tales were told before written
- Cunning and flattery shape the fox tales
- The small and the slow have their day
- Work and ease pull in opposite directions
- Dishonesty and greed bring their own trouble
- How a fable works and why it lasts
Who’s who
- The FoxA quick and hungry trickster who uses wit, and sometimes flattery, to get what he wants, though his cleverness does not always serve him.
- The CrowA bird who holds a prize in her beak and has a weakness for praise.
- The HareA fast runner who is sure of his own talent and enjoys mocking slower creatures.
- The TortoiseA slow and steady creature who challenges the hare to a race and trusts patience over speed.
- The LionA powerful king of the forest, proud and quick to scorn those who seem small.
- The MouseA tiny creature who must talk her way out of danger by promising a favor she hopes to repay.
- The Shepherd BoyA bored young watcher of sheep who plays a dangerous joke on the villagers near his hillside.
- The AntA hard worker who stores food all summer and has little patience for idle neighbors.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 39 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Fables d’Ésope ; nouvelle traduction in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Fables d’Ésope ; nouvelle traduction
by Ésope
A flattered crow, a proud hare and a boy who lies reveal what pride and dishonesty can cost.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Aesop's Fables is a collection of short animal tales credited to Aesop, a storyteller of ancient Greece. Tradition says he lived as an enslaved man and later gained his liberty through his wit, though little about his life is certain.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The tales were told before written
The fables belong first to the spoken word. Greek writers of ancient times name Aesop, and the historian Herodotus says he was a slave and a teller of tales. Over the years, almost any short story with an animal and a lesson came to be credited to him. So the name Aesop works partly as a label for a whole tradition, not only for one man.
The written collections came later. Demetrius of Phalerum, a thinker who governed Athens, is said to have gathered the tales into a book. The Roman writer Phaedrus turned many of them into Latin verse. The Greek poet Babrius did the same in Greek. Medieval scholars and monks kept copying the tales and adding to them, so the set we read today is built in layers.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Fables d’Ésope ; nouvelle traduction
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Aesop's Fables about?
It is a collection of short tales in which animals act like people. Each story shows one human fault or virtue, such as pride, greed, honesty or patience, and ends with a brief moral lesson.
Who was Aesop and did he really exist?
Ancient Greek writers describe Aesop as a storyteller who lived as a slave. Historians cannot confirm the details of his life, and the name may stand for a whole tradition of tales told by many people.
Are Aesop's Fables meant for children?
They are often read to children because they are short and clear, but they were told to adults too. Many of the morals deal with power, trust and survival, which suit readers of any age.
More by Ésope
All 4 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
