If you are looking for a short, comprehensive, encyclopedic catalogue of Aesop's Fables then this book is a steal. There are 83 fables in all, including the more famous ones such as the Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Lion and the Mouse and the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. Each fable comes with a half page or so re-telling of its story plus a one sentence synopsis of the stories' "moral" at the end.

My problem with this is that the stories are so short, there is no magic in them. They are stripped of all but the bones. I can't imagine a child being interested in the stories told this way. I would have preferred them cutting the number of stories and instead fleshing them out by a few pages. I recommend paying a few bucks more for *The Aesop for Children* (ISBN:0590479776) by M. Winter which does just that.

Culturally we are now at the point when "Slow but steady wins the race," "Look before you leap," and "Necessity is the mother of invention" are considered wise sayings passed down from generation to generation. But even if you know these proverbs you might have forgotten, or probably never knew in the first place, that they were first said by an ex-slave named Aesop two thousand years ago and each was the moral to one of his fables. This particular collection of Aesop's fables is based on the 19th-century research and translation of George Fyler Townsend, for whom the stories were moral lessons intended for an ADULT audience rather than simply children's stories about anthropomophic animals. Because he used animals with human strengths and weaknesses, Aesop's tales have been directed over the years more towards children; I heard of lot of them for the first time on a record by the Smothers Brothers. But Townsend restores the style and sophistication that are not commonly found in the juvenile editions of Aesop. In addition to the familiar fables like "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Hare and the Tortoise" there are dozens of lesser known fables uncovered by Townsend and included in the over 300 fables included in this edition, which makes this collection one of the more comprehensive of its kind.

Culturally we are now at the point when "Slow but steady wins the race," "Look before you leap," and "Necessity is the mother of invention" are considered wise sayings passed down from generation to generation. But even if you know these proverbs you might have forgotten, or probably never knew in the first place, that they were first said by an ex-slave named Aesop two thousand years ago and each was the moral to one of his fables. This particular collection of Aesop's fables is based on the 19th-century research and translation of George Fyler Townsend, for whom the stories were moral lessons intended for an ADULT audience rather than simply children's stories about anthropomophic animals. Because he used animals with human strengths and weaknesses, Aesop's tales have been directed over the years more towards children; I heard of lot of them for the first time on a record by the Smothers Brothers. But Townsend restores the style and sophistication that are not commonly found in the juvenile editions of Aesop. In addition to the familiar fables like "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Hare and the Tortoise" there are dozens of lesser known fables uncovered by Townsend and included in the over 300 fables included in this edition, which makes this collection one of the more comprehensive of its kind.

I remember having these Fairy Tales read to me at bedtime when I was little. I bought the same book to read to my son. The stories are bit anachronistic and may not meet modern standards of being politically correct, but we love them anyway.

I can't see why an abridgement is necessary for Pinnochio under any circumstances. The book is very short and no chapter could fill more than two typed pages. Any child should be able to digest the unabridged translation. When you strip a story down to a mere plot summary, you remove the details which make literature exciting and stimulating for both children and adults. Perhaps this is marketed toward extremely busy parents who don't have the five minutes it takes to read an entire chapter aloud.

Indeed this is a "World's Classic." I would like to see it preserved as the author intended.

Collodi good, abridgement bad.

I indeed agree that this movie is a wonderful movie, it was funny, and sad...but that just makes it even more great....I was wondering if anyone doesn't mind helping me, I need to buy the CD Soundtrack to this movie..Can anyone help me???

Collodi knew how mischievous children can be.He was one himself when he went to school in Flroence.In his later years,he was a school reforms official,and wrote many textbooks.He believed the best way to teach is by entertaining as well.This certainly shows in Pinocchio.The little Blockhead gets into all kinds of scrapes because he rushes into things with little consideration.Pinocchio is tricked by the Fox&Cat, advised by the Talking-Cricket,helped by the Fairy with Blue Hair-and ultimately realizes that if he wants to become a real boy,his inner self must be transformed first.The final chapter is a true indication of how Pinocchio has fully become a son to Gepetto.Collodi's story has many film-television-stage versions,but the original is a true classic.