Aesop's Fables
Fables in the Aesop tradition use animals and people to explore judgment, trust, power and self-deception. The familiar tortoise and hare, fox and grapes, and lying shepherd belong to a body of stories collected and reshaped by many hands, rather than a single surviving book written by Aesop.
Read the source note for the version used here. A short fable can support more than one interpretation, and some endings involve injury or death; the individual reading guidance helps you choose.
21 stories are in this collection right now.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Bundle of Sticks
A father tired of his sons' quarrels hands them a bundle of sticks none can break, then shows how easily the sticks snap one at a time.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Oak and the Reed
After a gale uproots an oak, it asks the reeds how their frail stems survived. Their answer contrasts bending with resisting the wind.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A country mouse visits his cousin in town and tastes rich food, but every opening door sends them fleeing, so he goes home to simple peace.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs
A couple's goose lays one golden egg each day. They kill it hoping to find gold inside, but find ordinary flesh and lose the daily eggs.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Dog and His Reflection
A dog carrying meat across a stream snaps at his water-reflection and loses the piece he was already holding in his jaws.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The North Wind and the Sun
The North Wind and the Sun argue over who is stronger and test it on a traveller's cloak. Fierce gusts fail where gentle warmth wins.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A wolf hides in a sheepskin to slip into the flock, but the disguise works too well when the shepherd reaches into the fold for meat.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Crow and the Pitcher
A thirsty crow finds a pitcher with water too low to reach, so she drops in pebble after pebble until the water rises to her beak.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Ant and the Grasshopper
On a winter day a hungry grasshopper asks ants for grain. Their question about her summer singing leads to a sharp answer about winter dancing.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Fox and the Grapes
A hungry fox jumps again and again for a bunch of grapes hanging out of reach, then strolls off insisting they were sour all along.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Lion and the Mouse
A lion laughs when a tiny mouse promises to repay his mercy, until hunters trap him in a net and the mouse gnaws the ropes to set him free.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Lamb and the Wolf
A lamb escapes a wolf by entering a temple. The wolf warns of sacrifice inside, but the lamb refuses to step back into its pursuer's reach.