July 25, 2012 (REVISED August 2, 2012) "Aesop for Children" Is a New Take on Classic Fables

The Library of Congress has released “Aesop for Children,” an interactive version of the classic Aesop tales, featuring the colorful illustrations of artist Milo Winter. The free interactive book is available on the Library’s read.gov website and as a free app for the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms.

“Aesop for Children” is a project of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and implemented by the Library’s Web Services office.

“Aesop’s Fables” is an ancient collection of 147 stories designed to teach moral lessons. Their authorship is credited to Aesop, a Greek slave and storyteller thought to have lived between 620 and 560 B.C. The fables are some of the world’s best known and have been translated into multiple languages and become popular in hundreds of cultures.

The interactive book is adapted from the 1919 book “The Aesop for Children: With Pictures by Milo Winter,” published by Rand, McNally & Co. This version of the classic Aesop stories contains the text of selected fables, color illustrations, video and interactive animations, and will be enjoyed by readers of any age.

Winter’s pictures have been transformed for this version, and now readers can interact with the charming illustrations to see and hear them move: a choosy heron eyes the fish swimming at his feet, a sly fox swishes his tail, a mouse chews a rope and frees a lion in straits.

The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of young people today. Scholars young and old will be able to trace the origin of aphorisms such as “sour grapes” and “a bird in the hand.”

Since its creation by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress has become a major national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages, nationally and internationally. The center provides leadership for affiliated state centers for the book and nonprofit reading-promotion partners and plays a key role in the Library’s annual National Book Festival. It also oversees the Library’s Young Readers Center.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov.