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 Bowman and the Lion
An archer wounds a lion with an arrow; when a fox urges fight, the lion flees the man whose messenger already hurts from afar.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Donkey and His Shadow
A traveller and a donkey owner start a hot-day quarrel over who may rest in the animal’s shadow, and while they argue, the donkey simply trots away.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Cat’s Judgement
Two cats who cannot agree how to share a stolen cheese ask a monkey to weigh it fairly, and he keeps nibbling to even the scales until nothing is left.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Ant and the Dove
A dove drops a leaf to save a drowning ant, and before long the little ant finds a brave way to save the dove from a bird-catcher.
The Dog and the Wolf
A skinny farm dog bargains with a wolf for time to grow fat on feast scraps, then greets him later from a stable roof out of reach.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 9-12
The Donkey and the Mule
On a steep hill a tired donkey begs the mule to share his load, but the mule refuses and soon has to carry far more than he bargained for.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 9-12
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
A shepherd boy shouts wolf for fun until villagers stop coming; when a real wolf arrives, no one believes his cries for help.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Crow and the Fox
A fox flatters a crow into singing so the cheese in her beak falls; wit, he says, would have served her better than praise.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Hare and the Tortoise
A mocking hare naps mid-race while a tortoise keeps walking; the slow runner reaches the goal before the sleeper wakes up.