4 h 39 minAudiobook5 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 enjoy short animal stories, quick wit and sharp observations about people, and for parents, teachers and speakers who like a small tale that makes a point in a minute.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Sweet words are often the bait in a trap
- The strong bully the weak, but the weak find ways
- Pride and envy lead creatures to ruin
- Friendship is tested when danger comes close
- Work, foresight and common sense pay off
- Tiny tales carry big truths about people
Who’s who
- The FoxA quick-witted schemer who wants an easy meal, tricks others with flattery and sometimes loses to those who think twice.
- The LionThe king of beasts, who takes what he wants by force or cunning and sometimes needs the help of the smallest creature.
- The MouseA tiny animal who gets by on speed and promises, and who proves that size is not the same as worth.
- The WolfA hungry predator who looks for excuses to eat and who is tricked by sharper wits more than once.
- The TortoiseA slow but steady racer who challenges a boastful hare to a contest.
- The HareA fast runner who is sure he cannot lose and who laughs at the slow.
- The GrasshopperA cheerful singer who spends the summer on song and has to face the cold without a store of food.
- The CrowA bird who is easily charmed by praise but who can also solve a hard problem with a clever idea.
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 5 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 USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 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 Aesop's Fables; A New Translation 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.
Aesop's Fables; A New Translation
by Aesop
A fox leaps for grapes, a hare naps mid-race and a small mouse promises to repay a lion.
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 USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
A fox leaps again and again for grapes he cannot reach. A hare naps in the middle of a race.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Sweet words are often the bait in a trap
Many fables warn that praise can be a tool. The one who flatters usually wants something, and the one who enjoys the praise often pays for it. The collection teaches a listener to ask what the speaker will gain.
In The Fox and the Crow, a crow sits with a piece of cheese while a fox calls her the queen of the birds and asks to hear her voice. In The Fox and the Grasshopper, a fox praises a singer in a tree and tries to coax her down for a meal. In The Wily Lion, a hungry lion admires a bull's fine head and suggests that his horns are a pity.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 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
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Aesop's Fables; A New Translation
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 very short stories in which animals talk and act like people. The tales explore flaws and virtues, such as pride, greed, flattery, patience and loyalty. Some state a lesson plainly, while others leave you to find it.
Who was Aesop and did he write these fables?
The tales bear Aesop's name, and Demades and His Fable mentions him as a teller of fables. The stories themselves do not explain who wrote them.
What is the moral of The Hare and the Tortoise?
The tale says that steady effort beats talent that is wasted on overconfidence. A hare mocks a tortoise for being slow, and the tortoise challenges him to a race.
More by Aesop
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
